


She's Emrys!

by iamglassfandom88



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M, Female Merlin (Merlin), Good Mordred (Merlin), Good Morgana (Merlin), M/M, Merlin & Morgana Friendship (Merlin), Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:01:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 108,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24934936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamglassfandom88/pseuds/iamglassfandom88
Summary: He found out and made her leave. He didn't listen, he didn't trust her but now he needs her help. She trusted him, but now no longer feels like she can. Someone else picked up the pieces and made it better, made her better, made her stronger.  Plus, she's Merlin, She's Emrys.
Relationships: Gwaine/Merlin (Merlin), Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 98
Kudos: 229





	1. Leave!

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fiction, I love writing anyway but I haven't ever written anything like this before. I may make mistakes throughout but all I ask for is patience and kindness. I don't expect everyone to like my work, but that doesn't give anyone the write to be mean about it- But with that said, I hope this is something you will enjoy! Thanks GFandom x

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He found out and made her leave. He didn't listen, he didn't trust her but now he needs her help. She trusted him, but now no longer feels like she can. Someone else picked up the pieces and made it better, made her better, made her stronger. Plus, she's Merlin, She's Emrys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first fiction, I love writing anyway but I haven't ever written anything like this before. I may make mistakes throughout but all I ask for is patience and kindness. I don't expect everyone to like my work, but that doesn't give anyone the write to be mean about it- But with that said, I hope this is something you will enjoy! Thanks GFandom x

‘I want you out of Camelot by sundown…’ The words echoed sharp through the throne room, the air hostile while suspicious blue eyes burning with anger glared at the figure hoisted up between two guards in the centre of the floor. ‘What...no, Arthur please, I can explain, let me talk to you..’ The figure struggled against the harsh grip the guards had around her arms and shoulders, all while trying to get the King to look at her. ‘NO! You shall treat me with respect witch… I am your king and you shall treat me as such; There is nothing you can tell me, I want you gone.’ The word spat from the Kings mouth had the room wincing, none more than the raven haired woman caught between the guards. ‘Arthur…’ A wrathful gaze was again thrown her way ‘I… Your majesty, please listen, I have never meant you any harm, I have never tried to harm Camelot, I have always been loyal and by your side, please if you will just listen I can explain everything. Please just listen.’ Her fearful cries cut through the air, the few guards near the large doors, court members, five of the King’s knights and the court physician watching on in a strained anticipation. ‘I’m Merlin, I’m still Merlin. Your Majesty, you know me, I would never try to harm you!’ The King then made eye contact, anger more prominent and heightened ‘If I knew you and you were as loyal as you claim then you would have never begun using magic and sorcery; I hold no trust in sorcerers. Now leave, pack up your things and go! Camelot holds no place for you!’ With that Arthur motioned for the guards to release her, paying no heed to her as she fell to the stone legs no longer holding her weight and silent tears began to pool.

‘Please, I never chose to have magic, I have it but I promise you with my life that I have never done anything to hurt you or Camelot.’ A solitary tear made its way from her eye as she began to plead with Arthur once again ‘ON YOUR LIFE, YOU WILL LEAVE AND NEVER RETURN. YOU WILL HAVE LEFT BEFORE NIGHT FALL OR I SHALL HAVE YOU WHIPPED AND BURNT.’ Complete silence overcame the room, nothing but pained gasping from Merlin as she stared shocked and still at her King, her supposed friend with a fear unknown to her before this. With an irritated sigh as he sat back on his throne Arthur said ‘Everyone can now go and someone make sure she’s gone before dark.’ With a wave of his hand, the large doors were opened and many of the court members began to leave, turning their noses up at the young woman crying on the floor.

While the court members had left the room, the court physician Gaius and the knights remained, watching in tense silence as the King spared Merlin no notice. It was an age with no words spoken and the only sounds were the hitching of breath coming from a teary Merlin and even longer with Arthur ignoring the people in the room, just vacantly looking around the room before once again landing harshly on Merlin. ‘Why are you still here? I told you to leave, I told you to go and yet you disobey me.. Leave my sight or I shall have you taken to the dungeons. Go. Now!’ His pointed words made her cower and cry even more, yet she never looked away from his face ‘Please Arthur, please…’ She whimpered trying one more time. ‘GO! YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS HERE!’ She let out a defeated cry, trying to pull herself back together as she struggled to her feet, at least wanting to walk out with some dignity. Taking a step she stumbled and a couple of knights instinctively went to step in before Arthur spoke up. ‘Don’t touch her, the witch can walk for herself, I’m sure there’s a spell for that.’ The words strident and commanding as Merlin corrected herself and began walking towards the doors, but one knight just scoffed and continued to move forward to her when she once again fell, legs still feeling very weak from shock and upset. ‘I told you Sir Gwaine, not to touch the witch; now leave her be and return to your duties, all of you.’ He looked at Gwaine pointedly, annoyance showing in his act of disobedience and expecting him to obey, only having a flash of surprise when the knight did nothing to show he had heard the order or was going to listen.

The other knights were shifting slightly, also showing signs of surprise and discomfort. Gaius on the other hand, didn’t seem surprised and instead bowed to Arthur and took his leave from the room with a quick glance at Merlin and Gwaine. ‘Sir Gwaine, I hope this is just you not hearing my order and not an act of defiance. Step away from her and return to your duties-that is an order.’ Gwaine looked up from where he was knelt beside Merlin letting her lean against his shoulder as she breathed through tremors and the shaking that her body was making. ‘She’s Merlin, not ‘witch’, he looked away from Arthur and back to Merlin, ‘Come on Merls, you need to stand, we need to get you out of here. Come on love!’ He muttered gently in her ear as to not let anyone else hear him. She nodded mutely and leant further into him as he slowly brought them back to standing.

He began to lead them towards the door to lead her from the room when Arthur called out from where he was now standing in front of his throne. ‘You’re making a mistake Gwaine, if you continue to help her, you shall have a severe punishment, have no doubt about that.’ Gwaine turned with Merlin shielded from the others’ view, ‘Now here’s where you wrong Your Majesty, if you think I’m going to stay here at all, then you’re damned.’ He glowered at Arthur with a mocking smile ‘I’ll be leaving with her and you won’t change my mind. Don’t know why I stayed in the first place. You nobles are all the same… selfish and arrogant. See you around princess.’ With one hateful look towards Arthur he quickly led her out of the room leaving a stunned King and equally shocked remaining knights.

Gwaine wasted no time hurrying them towards Merlin and Gaius’s quarters, determined to get Merlin as far from Camelot as soon as possible. He could feel his anger towards Arthur growing more and more each second and if he never has to see him again, that wouldn’t be long enough in his mind. He could feel Merlin shaking against him and cursed mentally, bundling her even closer to his side. ‘Come on Merls, hang on a bit longer alright.’ he whispered as the sight of the physician’s quarters came into view. Moving through the door, he spotted Gaius wandering round the room, taking bottles of mixtures and herbs from shelves and packing them into a small wrap, binding them in twine. He looked up as Gwaine sat Merlin down at the table and heaved a sigh, ‘I take it you are going with her?’ Gwaine nodded as he looked around the room for Merlin’s travel pack. ‘It’s in her room, I’ve already packed it with clothes for her, they should last a few weeks at most. Her bed roll too, I’ve tied it to the side.’ He motioned towards the small door at the other end of the room, Gwaine gave him a grateful look and disappeared into Merlin’s small box room.

She couldn’t think straight, she could feel Gwaine’s arms around her and could hear his accented voice speaking to her but she couldn’t find it in her to listen. She felt frozen, like she was stone, a chill running through her that she couldn’t shake. All she could feel was the absolute fear she felt after Arthur had said those words, she’d never felt frightened of him as long as she’d served him but now, that’s all she felt when she recalled her former master. ‘Merlin my dear, look at me please.’ She turned her eyes away from the floor, blinking aimlessly as her eyes focused on her Uncle and keeper stood before her. ‘Merlin my dear, you must leave, please don’t try to stay.’ He reached up to wipe away a few tears that had fallen without permission, ‘Try to be brave, while it shall be hard to bear for a while you must move on, out of Camelot. I will keep in contact with you as much as I can without causing suspicion on myself.’ She nodded barely, collecting herself to stand up and throw her arms around him. ‘I’m so sorry Gaius. I don’t know how he found out. I never told him, I don’t know how.’ He held her gently, soothing a hand across her back ‘I know my dear and you are not to blame for this, and as much as it pains me at least you are free to leave at this time.’ He gave her a squeeze before releasing her when Gwaine reappeared from inside Merlin’s room, travel pack in hand, ‘Now, I have sorted out some of your belongings and packed them away, plus I have some medicines and herbs for you to take- no arguments, I can always replace them. You need to go and get your book however, I don’t know where you have hidden it this time. Now while you may not make a very good healer, you’ve improved on hiding things from me.’ He gave a saddened, reminiscent smile to her before turning to Gwaine. ‘Sir Gwaine, now might be time for you to go and sort your things out, if you are still going to be leaving with her.’

Merlin’s head snapped up to look at Gwaine, shock and confusion on her face, ‘What do you mean? You have to have been joking, you can’t leave…’ Gwaine interrupted, ‘Yes I can and yes I am. I’m not staying here a minute longer if my best friend is gone, you must not know me very well if you thought any different eh Merls.’ He gave her a roguish smile before heading for the door, ‘I’ll be back in a little while. Wait for me here, it’ll give you time to say goodbye.’ and with that he was gone. ‘Go on my dear go and get your book before you forget it.’ Gaius gave her a little push towards her room after she hadn’t moved due to shock at his revelation. She moved numbly, barely reacting quick enough not to knock into a plant pot beside her door. Once inside the boxy, little space she called home, she moved on autopilot over to a small chest she had in the corner of the room, and shifting it out the way from the stone of the wall, murmured, ‘ **Stone. Change and reveal your secret.** ' Her eyes flashed gold, a pull of power moving through her words and out into the open as 3 sections of stone, contorted and twisted out of place to make way for a hollowed out nook in which was settled a reasonably sized leather covered book, a small red rose which Merlin had charmed to live forever and a small carved wooden dragon. Taking a large handkerchief from another chest, she picked up the book and wrapped it up along with the flower and the carving making sure it was all secure. Closing up the nook again she moved everything back into its original place and sat down on her cot just looking around her room. Six years she’d been here, living in the castle, protecting Arthur and in the end...all for nothing. She paid no mind to the tears falling and just waited a few moments thinking back to all the goodness she’d experienced as to not taint her final thoughts of her home with Gaius.

Time had gone by and the sun was slowly on the move, by the time she heard Gwaine arrive again, so with a quick wipe of her eyes and a shake of her hair she picked up the wrapped book and headed back out into the main room. Gwaine was speaking to Gaius, a couple of packs slung by his ankles as well as his sword and a few smaller blades placed on the table. He glanced up at her as she emerged and gave her a small smile, ‘You got everything you need from in there?’ The question was gentle ‘Yeah, I think so. I didn’t have much else other than this.’ She waved the bundle slightly before putting it in her shoulder strung bag. ‘I don’t know where we can go though, I admit my mind has been all over the place since… well you know. Also I don’t know if I still have my horse or not.’ She shouldered her bag and picked her pack from the floor, taking the smaller medical supplies from her uncle. ‘East, would probably be best, far enough from the border and there is no controlling power there that I know of so you’ll be safest there from anything and...anyone.’ Her uncle said with a slightly raised eyebrow, ‘I’ll send a message to your mother so don’t worry about that right now. Just focus on getting out safe.’ she nodded a few times, breath heavy as she tried to hold herself together just a little longer.

A touch from Gwaine on her elbow drew her mind and her gaze away from Gaius and to him, a guilty and worried expression on his face. Mouthing ‘I’m fine.’ She readjusted her bags and turned towards the door trying to stay strong enough to leave. Just as she got to the door, Gaius spoke ‘Merlin.’ she faced her uncle for the final time, ‘Take the servants entrance to the stables, you won’t meet anyone down there.’ With a nod and fake smile she opened the door. ‘ Be careful.’ Was the last thing she heard before leaving. Ducking into the corridor, Gwaine at her back they moved along the corridor until they got to a tapestry of an old noble who Merlin never bothered to find out the name of; she pulled it aside to show a passage heading down a flight of stairs, lit by torches. ‘Huh, I always wondered how the servants always got around so quickly and without being seen.’ Gwaine said with amusement as Merlin led them down, ‘Yeah, us servants have our ways luckily this one leads straight to the back of the stables, you ever wondered how I was always the first one at the horses?’ Merlin responded, tone far more subdued than normal. ‘Yeah I did. You were cheating though, this is cheating!’ He motioned to the tunnel as natural light began to overtake the torch light. Merlin chuckled dejected as she stepped out into light, squinting at the sudden change, Gwaine doing the same behind her. She began to move towards the place her horse was normally kept before Gwaine took her gently by the arm again and led her further away, behind the stable. At her confused look Gwaine spoke ‘I moved our horses away, didn’t want anyone in the way or staring. The whole castle must know by now.’ He looked at her sheepishly, ‘It’s fine Gwaine, I just forgot that word spreads like wildfire, of course everyone knows.’ sending him a reassuring look she allowed him to take her to the horses.

She smiled when she saw her horse, an older mare at around 16 years old, a lovely black bay who’d taken a fancy to Merlin after still being considered an untameable horse at 10 years old. Had taken a while for her to warm to Merlin but once she had, she was good as gold. ‘Hello my Tempest, my wild girl! Did you miss me?’ Merlin cooed, running a hand across the mare’s mane and shoulders. Tempest nickered, pushing her neck into Merlin’s hand causing her to laugh lightly for the first time that day, ‘Come on, let's get you saddled. We’re going on a journey and I need you to be your best, can you do that for me, huh?’ Giggling when the horse answered with a noise sounding like confirmation. Gwaine was working on his horse Maximus, fussing the big, 11 year old, chestnut gelding ever so often to keep him still enough for his saddle to be put on his back along with a few packs. Gwaine looked a bit funny, trying to keep his horse still by stroking but when he’d take his hand away to grab a pack, Maximus would move again and so the cycle would repeat and it was only when Merlin was finished with Tempest that she went to help him. ‘I swear he normally isn’t this much of a nuisance, the annoying creature.’ he complained ‘He’s probably excited to be ridden as it’s been a week since we last had to go anywhere. It’s natural for him to want to run, not stuck in a stable for days at a time.’ She took a hold of his reins so that she had the control over him for Gwaine to finish up.

‘Right I’m done, we can leave this God forsaken place!’ Gwaine took the reins back from Merlin and swung himself up onto Max’s back, calling to Merlin softly when she hesitated before getting up on Tempest. Gwaine took lead, moving Max into a trot and moving from behind the stables and out of the castle courtyard and through the guarded gates, Merlin just a breath behind him. The dominating feeling of sorrow began to swell in Merlin's chest the further from the castle they got, past Gwen and Elyans house in the town and out of Camelot. Knowing she’d never see sweet Gwen again,her uncle, her friends in the knights, brought new found tears straight to her eyes and she couldn't control her crying and didn’t try too the farther they were from Camelot. Gwaine rode beside her, not saying anything but being comforting just with his presence. Bringing the horses into a canter they went until they were in clearing where Merlin always met Kilgharrah and the still young Aithusa. She slowed Tempest to a standstill and turned in the saddle to face the diminishing frame of the castle as the sun began its descent.

‘It’s so ugly isn’t it? I’ve always hated that place.’ Gwaine spoke from beside Merlin, she smiled even as a lone tear fell, ‘Yeah, it’s ugly.’ She turned to look at Gwaine, ‘Come on, last one to the trees, catches and cooks dinner!’ She yelled as she kicked Tempest into a run, laughing as Gwaine called out cheating behind her.


	2. It's just us now...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin and Gwaine's first night after leaving Camelot. Tough and painful but together at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS OR THE TV SHOW!~
> 
> ~I only own my version of events~

‘We’d better find somewhere to stop for the night, it’s almost too dark to carry on and I think the horses are beginning to get spooked.’ Gwaine whispered through the dark of the trees, the moon barely showing through the thick foliage. Merlin nodded, mannerisms subdued as she brought Tempest to a standstill next to Gwaine and Max. ‘The best place would be close to the river, but I don’t know how far away from it we are. I guess we’ve moved further from the river than I noticed.’ He frowned, eyes moving through the darkness trying to find any trace of a stream or river. ‘I could probably find one... there’s a ...spell for that, which I could use if you want.’ Merlin said with a great deal of hesitation fearing rejection once again yet Gwaine just nodded, ‘Please, I’m longing for food and sleep.’ The corner of her mouth turned up slightly at his words and so she moved Tempest a little more forward and looked around, a breeze moving some stray hairs across her face. Gold flashed as her magic coursed through her veins, ‘ **Show me somewhere safe, somewhere with water, somewhere close.** ’ The breeze took up stronger and as though they were moving with her, the trees began to sway in the same direction as a small trail of golden sparkles appeared leading them off a little further into the woods.

‘It’s beautiful.’ Gwaine whispered in awe, as he lightly kicked Max into a walk, looking at Merlin with a smile as they set to follow the lights. ‘Does it always look so pretty when you do it?’ He asked as they rode side by side. Merlin shook her head, loose hair swinging over her face,’Not always, sometimes, but not always. I guess it’s pretty when it wants to be but quite often it was just me using it to throw people or drop things on bandits when they attacked us.’ Gwaine laughed, voice loud in the quiet environment, ‘I thought there was something strange about all those branches, and how their swords never seemed to stay in their hands.’ He looked at her in amusement, ‘You are an amazement Merlin, you know that.’ Merlin blushed thankful for the nightfall covering their sight that he wouldn’t be able to see but even then she turned away. They continued to follow the sparkling lights for a while longer, darkness fully beginning to take their sight so with a quick spell she created two medium sized balls of light of a pale yellow to stay beside them both so they could see further than their horses heads.

The lights led them for another quarter hour at most before they came to a stop and disappeared, ‘Well... I don’t see a river anywhere. Are you sure that we aren’t lost Merls?’ Gwaine grouched slightly, hours of being in a saddle catching up on him as he shifted slightly. ‘Of course we’re not lost, if you were quiet for a moment without grumbling, you would have heard the sound of the water coming from behind those bushes.’ Merlin rolled her eyes but showed him a weary smile, also exhausted from the day and the heartbreaking events which had happened. She swung herself off of Tempest and stroked her neck giving her praise as Gwaine did the same before leading them round a set of large bushes into a small stream side clearing. ‘There we go, water, space and cover. It should be easy to look after for the night as well.’ She led Tempest straight to the water, leaving her to drink after a long ride as she unhooked her water skin from the saddle and went to grab Gwaine’s from where he was tending to Max, ‘I’ll refill them, hand it over.’ She filled them up and muttered a quick, quiet spell to clean the water and make it drinkable, like she had always done when out on patrol, or a hunt with the knights… and Arthur. A grimace clouded her features, pained by the way all her memories seemed to span from the king and her duty to him.

‘..erlin...erlin? Merlin!’ A shake of her shoulder brought her back from her subconscious and into the concerned brown eyes of Gwaine, where he was ducked down in front of Merlin holding onto each of her shoulders. ‘Sorry, I zoned out. What were you asking me?’ She tried to look convincing but he didn’t take that, ‘I was asking whether I should get wood or not for a fire, but that doesn't matter. Are you alright Merlin? You were standing there for a fair few minutes.’ She didn’t say anything for a couple seconds, just moved away from the warm grip he had, had on her arms and over to Tempest who was munching on some grass, ‘Yes I’m fine, just zoned out, I’m ok. First things first, let’s sort the fire, I’ll go and get it, can you just tie up the horses for now since, I don’t want to keep these lights up all night.’ She motioned to the orbs still hovering a few feet from them before turning into the woods to grab some dead sticks and fallen branches for a fire. After getting far enough from the camp, she let out a sigh, internally cursing herself for forgetting to control her thoughts and for the butterflies she’d felt in her stomach when Gwaine had held onto her. The concern and care he’d shown her, but she was just his best friend, he’d said it himself back at the castle. Best friend. She was really beginning to hate the words.

The light orbs were beginning to dim and so with that in mind, not wanting to leave Gwaine in darkness, she drew from the thoughts and got to picking reasonably big bits of wood to use, so that it would hopefully last the night, and returned to the camp. The horses were tied up and munching away on grass, while each of their bedrolls had been taken off and set up on the ground, a little distance between them. Gwaine was sat on his bedroll, sharpening his sword as she arrived back, ‘Thought I’d have to come looking for you.’ He grinned, looking at her as she set the sticks down and began piling them into a fire, ‘Sorry, I got disorientated for a moment, almost began to walk in the opposite direction.’ She grinned back, going to her pack to find the flint and steel she kept for journeys. Gwaine watched her looking slightly troubled but said nothing, which she was grateful for at that point. Luck was in their favour it seemed, for as the fire started the orbs finally disappeared, putting the clearing into a singular red-orange glow. She could feel Gwaine’s eyes on her ever so often as she moved around, fixing up her bed roll and grabbing her old, worn blanket she’d brought from home when she first went to Camelot, Hunith had made it for her as a child and she’d used it endlessly growing up. No one could ever get her to replace it, not even her mother and she never accepted another in replacement. It made her blush and also thankful that he was around. She sat down and eased off her boots, rubbing the soles of her feet to get the circulation going and to soothe the aching from wearing them continuously, they were getting a bit too small now but she hadn’t had a chance to replace them yet.

Bundling under her blanket she sat facing the fire, letting the noises of the forest fill their silence. Even with the fire going steadily, it was still cold at night, even more so now that it was soon to be autumn and she felt herself shivering slightly, although her front was covered by the blanket, it was too small to completely wrap around her back. She jumped as something heavy landed over her shoulders, looking around to see that Gwaine had put a thick woollen blanket around her. ‘Gwaine, I can’t take your blanket, you’ll freeze. Don’t worry about me, I'll be fine tonight.’ Unwrapping it from her shoulders, she went to hand it back to him, but he’d just laid back down on his bedroll, ‘It’s not my blanket, cause I swiped it from storage-grabbed a couple of them since I knew we’d end up using them. I also grabbed another bed roll in case something happens to one of ours. Mines here Merls- look, I’m not sacrificing my comfort.’ He grinned at her awed face, the spare blanket held out to him although he made no move to get it from her, ‘But… I have this one, I don’t…’ Her babbling was cut off, ‘Merlin. You would have frozen, automatically my blanket was thicker and newer than your, far less worn. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I’m not saying get rid of your other one, just that you should use that one too.’ He laid back down, putting an arm behind his head and closing his eyes. Merlin on the other hand, just sat there mouth gaping, staring at him for a while, thinking over how he’d just admitted to stealing from the castle store and also said that he didn’t want anything to happen to her.

Eventually, getting over her shock at certain revelations, she took both blankets and wrapped them around her as she curled up on her bedroll, trying to settle down and get some sleep. Sleep didn’t come easily, even with the soft snuffling noises of the horses settling, the fire crackling away and the trickling of the stream, her mind kept being taken to the day's events, being called to the great hall and then being… banished. She still had no idea how he found out, truth be told she hadn’t actually had to use it in a couple of days but it had happened and she could no longer go back. She shook her head to rid her thoughts of the bad memories and drew the blankets as physically close as possible, still shivering from the chill of the wind across her face; though soon enough her thoughts all stopped and she was drawn into her subconscious, body relaxing as she drifted into sleep.

_Merlin walked through Camelot, unsettled by its atmosphere. It was quiet, no bustling street merchants, no knights looking for thieves, no visiting nobles visiting the tavern, just quiet, the mocking call of crows a sharp sound through the deserted streets. There was a chill that ran down her spine as she made her way closer and closer to the castle courtyard, a feeling of dread that shouldn’t have been there. At the gates of the courtyard she paused hearing the sound of talking and could see a huge crowd of people gathered inside. People tuned as she got closer and parted, all while staring, a completely blank look on their faces causing her dread to get even stronger until she was in the centre of the crowd. Everyone was looking at her and yet no one was saying a word._

_She swallowed the lump in her throat, ‘What’s going on? Any reason why the town is deserted? Can anyone tell me… ahh’ She was cut off when two people from the crowd rushed forward and grabbed her by the arms and the crowd suddenly burst into shouts and cries of anger; she was dragged through the crowd and towards the steps of the castle. The castle doors opened and Arthur walked out, the knights and his advisers behind him, there was a hard look on all their faces, just like the crowd, no emotions, no recognition from any of them. Once they got close enough down the steps, the crowd went silent, leaving only excited breathing, fearful breathing and the rattling of the knights swords against their armour. ‘Arthur what's going on?’ she struggled against the painful grip the men had on her arms._

_He just glowered, hatred filling his gaze but didn’t speak to her, instead turned his gaze to the crowd, ‘This woman is under arrest for the actions of sorcery and plotting against Camelot.’ Merlin struggled, shaking her head ‘No, No, I have never plotted against Camelot!’ Her cries fell on deaf ears ‘She will be made an example of, a warning to every other hidden sorcerer to leave and never return, to never look to Camelot and think of causing it harm!’ He made a motion with his hands as the crowd's cheers of support rang through the air and Merlin watched the crowd part and watched as a large, fat man limped through, the metal of his whip glinting in the sunlight same with his gold teeth. She struggled more and more, crying out for help from Somebody, anybody but the more she struggled the more the crowd grabbed at her, restraining her into a painful kneeling position at Arthur’s feet. ‘Please Arthur, please! I’ll leave, you’ll never have to see me again, don’t do this, please Arthur, please! I beg you please!’ He just looked on, showing nothing to her, motioning to the man to begin. She cried and struggled but couldn’t move at all, she tried calling on her magic to help her escape but as though it was blocked from her nothing worked. By a shadow before her, she saw the man raise the whip into the air and before she had a chance to struggle, pain seared through her back, cutting through her clothes with a scream._

She lurched up with a cry, clawing at the air with her hands, only to find herself restrained, in blind panic she struggled and cried, magic waiting to be let loose before the voice of the person holding her cut through, worried yet still a calming edge to it, ‘Merlin! Merlin sweetheart, calm down! You’re safe, you’re safe, it's me. Gwaine. It’s just me and you’re safe!’ She twisted in his grip to face him, sobbing and gasping for air, gripping onto the front of his tunic and clinging on tight. ‘Merlin...sweetheart, look at me, look at me!’ His tone was soft yet took a commanding lilt as his hands went to cup her face and he dipped his head to get her teary gaze to meet his. His thumbs swiped over the constant run of tears and he shushed her, ‘Shh, Merls, just breathe with me, see, follow my breathing.’ He took some exaggerated breathes in, coaching her to follow.

Minutes passed before she was able to follow his breathing, body strumming with a sense of protection and of panic, her mind barely lucid enough to let her guard down even for a second. He took a hand from where it held her face and brought it down to pry her fingers from his tunic, a little effort went into that but he didn’t rush her, just kept murmuring in a gentle way to soothe and calm her enough to move them both into a more comfortable position. Gwaine lying down on Merlin’s bedroll with her tucked in close to him, one hand still tightly gripping his tunic and her head tucked into his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her in a comforting manner. ‘You’re safe Merlin, I’m here, I’ll always be here for you. No one can hurt you ok? No one, I won’t let them.’ he whispered against her brow as she shook and whimpered from fear. ‘Sleep Merlin, I’ll be here to protect you.’ Risking it, though she wouldn't’ probably remember it, he pressed a kiss to her brow, soothing a hand across her back in circles to keep her calm.

He didn’t know what the nightmare had been about, but he could guess given how she’d been screaming out something to do with the prat. He hated Arthur even more in that instance, for causing Merlin so much pain in less than a day. He shook himself from the anger as Merlin shuffled a little against him, still shaking slightly but seemingly falling back asleep most likely from exhaustion. He tried to settle then, first making sure to wrap Merlin’s thrown away blankets back around her, the fire having begun to dwindle slightly in the early hours of the morning, making where they were positioned a little more cold than earlier in the night.

He stayed awake after that, watching over Merlin as she slept, soothing her if she showed discomfort of any kind, quite content just to take this chance while he had it. Soon however, the call to nature emerged and he had to extract himself from her grip somehow, he loosened her hand from his shirt and held her head to lay it down on her bedroll to hopefully not wake her up. Leaving the clearing for a couple of minutes, he collected a couple more bits of wood to replenish the fire come day break and returned. He checked on the horses, feeding them half an apple each which would hopefully keep them happy and went to sit on a log a few feet from Merlin to keep watch. He tried to keep himself occupied in his surroundings and watching out for any dangers attracted to the fire but found himself looking back at Merlin again and again.

There was an orange glow shimmering over her face peeking out from the blankets, highlighting her high cheekbones and the bridge of her nose; for all the panic and sadness she’d gone through yesterday her eyes were slightly puffy but he still thought she was beautiful. He’d always thought she was beautiful, ever since the first time he saw her in that tavern fight. She’d walked in with the Princess and been laughing about something and her smile completely lit up the room, as though none of those drunk, ugly bastards were there. Merlin had lovely black hair, quite long, down to her waist but she always had it rolled up and showed into a messy bun shape on the top of her head, kept in place by a couple of long hair pins or the occasional cut down stick if she lost one. She was always wearing one of her scarves around her neck and always had her brown jacket over her tunics. Unlike most women, she did not like having to wear dresses but if the situation arose where it was needed she would. Gwaine loved seeing her in a dress, although they weren’t as flashy and colourful as some of the nobility, her plain ones, similar to Gwen’s were still very pretty, mostly in pale blue but then again hers were nearly always blue, or green. In his mind he liked to think that she was wearing them for him in his colours, green had been his family’s colour and he’d stuck with it even after his parents had died.

A small whine alerted him to Merlin and brought a smile onto his face as he watched her wriggle around slightly trying to get comfortable again. He chuckled in low tones and getting up from the log, went to kneel beside her, pulling the blanket further around her shoulders where it had moved in her shuffling. He softly traced a finger across the apple of her cheek and smirked when she appeared to lean into his touch. ‘She’s so sweet’ he thought to himself as he stood again, knees clicking, and went over to Max to grab his cloak from his pack. It was a green one instead of the Pendragon red, a cloak he’d taken with him when he left home, not wanting to wear one that would be a constant reminder of Camelot for Merlin. There was a chill moving in, along with a storm which hopefully wouldn’t hit until later on in the day. He wrapped his cloak around his shoulders and sat back down on the log once again to keep vigil.

Dawn broke, summoning a host of chattering birds and animals scampering around finding food when Merlin awoke, with a click of her neck she shifted on her bedroll, sitting up a bit and taking in her surroundings, feeling a little out of it she looked around for Gwaine and found him by the fire, putting more logs on and bringing it back to full brightness. At her movement, he spotted her and sent her a small grin, ‘Morning. Did I wake you?’ She shook her head sleepily and stretched with a yawn before running her hands through her hair, pulling a couple of leaves from it in annoyance. She grumbled, when she couldn’t get all the leaves out and stood up, pulling the pins from her hair and shaking her head vigorously while Gwaine laughed at her, she gave a wide smile back and went back to picking leaves clear. Once content with her hair being leaf-free, she began twisting it back up into its normal hairstyle, jabbing herself with a pin once or twice until it was secure. Gwaine was still watching her, an affectionate look on his face, making her blush for what seemed the hundredth time in the last day. Looking away she cleared her throat, went to her pack and grabbed some fresh clothes before saying she was going to go and wash; This time Gwaine blushed, purposefully looking away and saying he’d make a start on finding breakfast as he grabbed his sword, shoved a dagger into his waistband and walked off in the other direction looking quite flustered. Merlin watched until he was far enough away, chuckling to herself and thinking how nice it was to have ruffled his feathers for a change.

Going in the opposite direction to him, just shy of the camp, she settled her clothes on a large rock and went to relieve herself. Once done with that, taking note of her surroundings, her magic at the ready, she stripped off her old trousers, underwear and tunic before walking into the stream ankle deep, shivering at the sudden cold that rushed her body. She’d brought a wash cloth with her and a small bottle of sweet smelling oil to wash with so she was able to clean herself quickly and effectively even if it was frightfully cold. She wasn't bothered about her hair as she’d washed it the day before last so that was one less thing to dry. Washing her dirty clothes was easy enough, since they weren’t too dirty, a few stains on her trousers from grass and mud but nothing that wouldn’t wash out. Then walking back out the stream, she muttered, ‘ **Make me dry, my clothes dry.** ' near instantly, her wet clothes were dry, she was dry and it was as though she’d never gone in the water. She was thankful for that aspect, she didn’t like having to be wet and cold for long. She redressed into her new clothes and headed back to the camp, still observing her surroundings, thinking that hopefully all the bandits were still sleeping, but as the sun continued to rise, they were bound to be awake by now meaning more danger for Gwaine and her.

Gwaine had come back at some point since she’d been washing and was sitting near the fire skinning a rather large rabbit, a sharpened stick laid beside him. He looked up when she stepped on a twig before going back to the rabbit, ‘Big little bugger isn’t he? I didn’t see any reason to try and get another, I’m sure he’s big enough for the both of us.’ He nodded, folding the newly washed clothes and putting them back into her pack and taking out her dark blue scarf to replace her washed one and tied it around her neck securely, testing the knot so it wouldn’t loosen when she was doing anything. She looked up just as Gwaine looked back to the rabbit, now working on threading it onto the stick to be cooked. Going to sit next to him, they sat silently for a few moments before she said, ‘Thank you… for last night. It helped greatly and I’m sorry for disturbing your sleep.’ He shook his head, nudging his shoulder against hers, ‘No problem, it's not something you have control over. I wasn’t bothered, to be honest I don't need that much sleep, I just don’t like really early morning patrols. I can get by with only a couple of hours, so don’t worry Merls you did no harm.’ His grin was replaced by a frown, ‘I was worried though, whatever it was frightened you a lot. You began screaming just before I was able to wake you, so what I want to ask you is… Are you ok?’

She hesitated before answering, ‘In an ideal world I would say yes. I’m fine and there’s no reason to worry but it isn’t like that, so no, I’m not alright. I was, I am frightened. The nightmare really messed with my head and everything I once thought about Camelot, about Arthur.’ Gwaine took one of her hands in his squeezing lightly for her to continue. ‘I was in Camelot again, it was deserted in the town but everyone was in the castle courtyard. Everyone was looking at me and then someone grabbed me and brought me to the front where Arthur was with all the knights, you weren’t there, I never saw you.’ She shook a tear from her face, ‘He ordered that I be made an example of, for all sorcerers to never come to Camelot. Then he had someone whip me and that’s when I woke up.’ She cleared the stream of tears from her eyes with her scarf before turning her head to look at Gwaine. He looked furious, brows pinched and mouth turned down, knuckles clenched and the hand on hers tight. ‘I’ll kill him before that ever happens’ His accent was harsh tone low and threatening, causing her alarm, ‘No Gwaine, it was just a nightmare, it wasn’t real, It won’t happen!’

He shook his head, disbelief written on his face, ‘Merlin, it may have been a nightmare, but that’s what he threatened to do to you! Your own master, your friend, if you can even call the bastard that. Merlin you have no reason to defend him, none. He doesn’t deserve it.’ She shook her head, getting distressed, ‘But it is, I’m meant to be protecting him, I have been for 6 years. I’m meant to be leading him to a better kingdom, a better existence for his people. For the Lord’s name he’s supposed to be The Once and Future King, reunite Albion with Magic to live in harmony and I was destined to help him. How can I do that now that he no longer wants me in Camelot or around him? Now I can’t even save the clot pole from being hurt!’ She was getting hysterical, stood up and pacing around in front of Gwaine, voice getting more anxious and scared each sentence she made until Gwaine figured that enough was enough, his anger for the King dwindling for his worry over Merlin.

He reached up and grabbed the hand closest to him as she paced past and pulled her to face him, ‘Merlin, calm down. Getting worked up about it, isn’t going to help you or the King. For now, it’s just you and me and we’ll have to work with that for a while until we find somewhere to settle.’ He pulled her back to sitting, quickly turning the rabbit on the fire, ‘Now what do you mean by Once and Future King?’ She quickly explained in as much detail as she could, though keeping it simple enough for Gwaine to catch onto quickly, how Arthur was going to reunite all of Albion and bring it into a golden age and that Merlin needed to be with him during that time to make sure that no one killed the ‘Idiot! Do you know how many times I’ve saved him?, and that he would remain on the throne. Gwaine sat there feeling a bit confused however there wasn’t anything he could do about that as Merlin went into another miniature rant, something about a grumpy cryptic dragon and the Lady Morgana. ‘Merls, slow down, I can’t understand what you're on about! What do you mean dragon and what about Morgana?’ She groaned, bringing her head into her lap and her hands into her hair, collecting herself before springing back up again so fast that it gave Gwaine whiplash, ‘Okay. So you know, when the Great Dragon escaped and started destroying everything, well I set him free.’ She looked very sheepish, looking away from Gwaine but turning back when he began laughing, ‘Really Merlin, you set the giant lizard on Camelot?’

‘I didn’t think he’d actually attack but then we had to go and get the Dragon Lord Balinor to beg him to help us stop it but, he died before he even got the chance.’ She was crying again, ‘Merlin?’ He took her hand again, ‘God! Gwaine he was my father! I only met him once, the day before he died. He died protecting me and Arthur and Arthur wondered why I was crying. The oblivious clotpole.’ She leant on his shoulder as he looked at her shocked. ‘The dragon Lord was your father?’ She nodded against his shoulder, ‘Yes but because a Dragon Lord’s essence is the same as that of a Dragon they share a connection in which the Lord has a form of control over the Dragon and they have to obey. We are both creatures made of magic you see, so once Balinor died, his powers were passed to me. I became a Dragon Lord the moment Balinor took his last breath.’ She looked up at Gwaine’s shocked face, ‘Highly depressing isn’t it?’ He just continued to gape at her, ‘You’re a Dragon Lord. You can control Dragons and your father was a Dragon Lord… Dear God Merlin.’ He spewed and she burst out laughing, tears all run dry, ‘is that all you can think of Gwaine?’ , he nodded rapidly, joining in on the laughter, ‘Yeah, safe to say I’m a bit stunned; however, what did you mean about Morgana, I thought she went across the sea to live with a distant cousin of her father?’ Merlin shook her head, ‘No, she went to live with a druid clan to gain control over her magic.’

They halted conversation there to eat the slightly burnt rabbit and to begin packing up, it was now light enough to see and they needed to get moving soon before anyone came across the camp, a Camelot patrol or worse. Gwaine still looked quite shocked and would glance at her ever so often as he packed his kit up and gave Max a drink of water and some grain to eat before the journey, ‘Morgana has magic? All this time?’ Merlin hmm’d from where she was re-saddling Tempest, ‘Her nightmares were the first indicator that she had magic. Gaius realised before me, He’s always known about my magic as he’s my mother brother. Gaius told me and I spoke with the Dragon Kilgharrah about what I should do, he advised against telling her- some other random prophet involving her or something like that but when she eventually came to me frightened, absolutely terrified that she had magic, I decided to help her and tell her of my own. We have helped each other since.’ Gwaine took all this in, packing his weapons into their places on his saddle, ‘But then if you were helping her, why did she leave?’ ‘She was getting more frightened, more out of control which I couldn't help with, since control has never been my strong point either. So I spoke with a friend of mine, a druid leader called Iseldir and his companion Cerdan about how Morgana could be helped, and so she went to them and has been there ever since.’ She swung herself onto Tempest with a little thanks to Gwaine giving her a boost. ‘We’d better get going, otherwise we may have some unwanted guests.’ At that Gwaine, scuffed out what was left of the fire and climbed on Max. ‘Right, which way are we going now?’ Merlin looked through the trees, the eyes flashing a brilliant gold. ‘Come on, this way.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, GFandom here, sorry that this has taken so long after the first chapter, I have been taking time to make it as unrushed as I could since that's a bad habit I have as a writer. I have tried to make it detailed, but again this is my first fictions so I am only going to improve throughout.
> 
> My chapters may take longer than most peoples but that is only because I want to put out content that will make people happy so pls be patient.
> 
> To those who enjoy this chapter, feel free to leave me a comment and I'll try and reply. I really have appreciated that I got Kudos! Not going to lie, didn't think I would but there's the surprise. 
> 
> Once again thank you everyone xx
> 
> UPDATE/EDIT: I have no longer decided to translate the spells from Welsh since it has been taking a lot of effort and it's quite difficult, instead it will be in bold. Please understand!


	3. Bandits...damn bandits!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their luck is running very short- if at all.  
> Bandits ruin their day of course.
> 
> All in the day of Emrys and her favourite knight.

‘And that’s the reason why I was kicked out of that tavern!’ Merlin laughed, ‘Of course you’d do that wouldn’t you!’ Gwaine twisted in his saddle, pointing an accusatory finger at her, ‘HEY! How was I supposed to know it was a woman- it was hideous! I swear it was a pig!’ He grinned and turned back in his saddle beginning another story of his travels for entertainment, it was at this time that Merlin could just watch him from where she was riding a little behind on Tempest. Gwaine was tall, 5 ft 10 only slightly shorter than Merlin which he still felt a little annoyed about but in what he lacked in height he made up for in it for being muscular, even if it wasn’t very obvious like with Percival. She liked his profile as he had a nice face with his gorgeous beard-not that she'll ever tell him that, and he has a roguish smile that gives her butterflies in her stomach. His eyes are similar to hers, a bright blue colour and of course his dark brown hair, he’s always been proud of it and it always looks so soft and fluffy. ‘Merlin, are you listening? I was wondering whether we cross the river here or head further down?’ She looked around flustered as he smirked at her seeing her staring at him. Clearing her throat a bit she scanned the river, looking for possible places to cross. There was a section, shallow enough to be crossed which she pointed to, ‘The horses aren’t going to like it though, the water will be freezing but they’ll have to deal with it as this may be the only suitable place to cross for miles.’

Kicking Tempest forward, she brought her to the edge of the river bank taking lead, ‘Come on old girl you can do this!’ She encouraged her on, even with the uncomfortable spray of water as Tempest walked through, whinnying uneasily. Gwaine was right behind them, Max making just as much fuss due to the cold as they got closer and closer to the opposing bank. ‘Good girl, you did it! See it wasn’t that hard right!’ Merlin praised the mare, even as she snorted and shook her head and mane, flicking excess water up at Merlin who cringed when it went all over her, ‘Haha very funny, I’m sorry I made you do that but we had to get across.’ She Looked over at Gwaine, having a similar conversation with Max, ‘Well done boy, don’t worry you’ll dry off soon enough.’ He looked around then back at Merlin, ‘Where now?’ Merlin motioned to the river, ‘Why don’t we keep following it. It will be safer and if I’m correct we’re getting closer to the Druid camp where Morgana is, I need to see her and then I need to find somewhere to speak to the Dragons.’ They kicked off into a trot, wanting to make a good distance but it also would help if they met anyone unexpectedly while travelling. They stopped a couple of times, when nature called and to give the horses a quick rest before beginning the journey again, eating the last of the bread before it went off and some apples Gwaine had snagged from the kitchens. They chatted aimlessly, no real conversation of importance but just enough to keep them occupied without being distracted from their surroundings.

Things began to go wrong after the third time they had to stop, the area they’d stopped at, although close to the river wasn’t very covered by trees, although there was a lot of foliage and bushes around it just wasn’t very secure, especially for just two people. Merlin was on guard watching the horses, looking out into the forest as much as she could, although at that moment she thought that they were going to be alright, her magic a little below the surface but relaxed. A loud crack of a stick made her tense and call out to Gwaine but before she could get the words out, seven heavy set bandits ran out of the bushes, swords and axes swung high with shouts.

Instinctively Merlin ran from the horses not wanting them hurt, even if it was likely they’d be spooked and try to run anyway; she weaved through some trees hoping that Gwaine had heard the commotion and was aware of what was happening. She swore in her head as she hid behind a larger tree, hoping that with some luck they’d carry on but evidently luck was no longer on her side when she barely had time to duck before a sword buried itself where her head had been in the tree. Merlin kicked out at the man, striking him in the side with a groan as he fell to the floor, giving Merlin a chance to grab his sword before he struggled up, grabbing another smaller sword from his belt. The sword was heavier, much heavier than the ones at Camelot which the knights used but in the circumstance it would have to do, another bandit was running at her, the rest following behind in varying lengths of space.

She held the sword up and took a stance easy to manoeuvre in and with a grunt, swung the sword making contact with a clang and a scrape of metal. He was brutish and although large, he moved faster than most but still had an untrained sword manner just swinging with the intention of hitting something. It was hard to follow, Merlin having to work harder than normal to keep up, the weight of the sword making her arms ache. The other bandits had caught up and were waiting for an opportunity to strike at her, so to keep it a little more to her advantage she made sure to keep all the men in her sight all the while mentally begging for Gwaine to hurry up and help her.

Time had obviously been a good factor with her stalling as she saw Gwaine running through the trees a few moments later an enraged cry drawing some of the men's attention from Merlin and onto him. She blew a sigh of relief, before getting back to the men she had to worry about, four of the bandits had gone to Gwaine seeing him as the biggest threat, while three remained with her, leering at her with perverted faces, making her cringe but nevertheless she was on her guard.

Gwaine had heard the men begin to follow Merlin from down the bank and he was so glad she’d led them from the horses even just a little way since it meant that he could grab his sword from his saddle. He also quickly tied the horses up, hoping that they’d be there when they’d be back and set off after Merlin. He could hear the shouting and the clashing of swords, which would hopefully mean that Merlin had managed to get one off of them. As he got closer he could see them partially surrounding her and with a pleased smirk he let out a cry rushing towards them through the trees, drawing away most of the men and leaving Merlin a little better off. The bandits hadn’t liked being interrupted apparently and ran straight at him, the largest one, carrying a double bladed axe let out a sound similar to a growl as he swung it at Gwaine’s head, barely ducking out the way before it fell beside him but in the guys swing he’d left his side open so with a thrust, Gwaine’s sword went through his side dropping the giant man like a fly. His sword came out glistening red and the smell of iron quickly filled his nose as he was quickly set upon by the other men all at once, testing his abilities to the limit.

Being in Camelot had done something useful after all he thought when he was able to combat them fairly easy, his training being able to out skill them in a matter of minutes, one dropping after the other meaning he was able to go and help Merlin. She’d managed to drop one of them, but the others were a little more trained and were pushing her backwards, exhaustion beginning to appear on her frame.

He wasn’t too worried about her until her attention was so focused on the one she was fighting that she didn’t see the one working his way around her. With a final push of strength she had managed to slice through her attackers throat but had barely any time to react as the final bandits sword went through her back into the side of her stomach, causing her to lurch forward with a pained gasp, pain and panic written on her face as she stared right into Gwaine's eyes as she fell to her knees and collapsed. Gwaine saw red, an anger filling him that could rival his for Arthur as he yelled attacking the man with such force and speed he had barely any time to react as Gwaine sliced through his chest and thrust his sword into the wound. He dropped, choking on his own blood before going still, dead.

The adrenaline Merlin had felt began to subside, pain cutting through it quicker than any amount of rest could do. She lay on her side gasping as her hand came to rest on the wound on her right side, she could feel her blood spilling in between her fingers and could hear her ragged breathing and the sound of Gwaine shouting but it was muffled, stars beginning to take place in her vision. She felt a hand pressing her own on the wound and frantic, scared talking to her as Gwaine landed beside her. She couldn’t understand what he was saying but felt his hand release hers for a moment before pressure was reapplied to her front and the mirroring wound on her back. Everything hurt, every muscle in her body felt the pain and she couldn’t do anything as she felt sleepier and sleepier, her eyes closing against her will as she felt a dulled yet sudden rush of magic leave her searching for help and calling out to someone.

A few miles away, a druid camp was thriving, children scattered around with their chosen teacher, be it their parents or another guardian, reading or performing small spells. The elderly women weaving and knitting garments of clothing, the men gathered in little groups, some leant over maps, others over large cauldrons of steaming food as some of the woman watched over the youngest children, new-borns and toddlers as well as some weaving baskets. A dark haired witch sat among them, holding onto a young girl, entertaining her with a chain of daisies spelled to remain together and talking to some of the women when an abrupt, painful feeling ran through her magic, causing her to fight for breath. The druid women around her felt uneasy at a similar moment and some of the children began to cry , having the same horrible sensation, the women trying to calm them but Morgana could do nothing, panic filling her as in her mind she heard a faint calling of her name and help.

She sat the fussing girl down by her mother and stood up, racing across the camp, to a large tent as fast as her feet and skirts would allow her. She burst through the entrance, where she saw her mentors, speaking in hushed tones, look up in alarm, ‘Morgana my dear what’s wrong?’ Iseldir said, ‘There was a burst of pained energy, was it you?’ She shook her head trying to catch her breath, ‘No it was Merlin, it was Emrys! She called for me, she’s in trouble, she’s hurt, she’s in pain! We must help her!’ Cerdan looked at Iseldir in alarm before rushing out the tent and calling for their healer Alice. Iseldir led Morgana from the tent with some haste, joining with Alice and Cerdan in a small unoccupied area, letting Morgana take the lead, she whispered a spell, blue eyes flashing gold before they disappeared in a shimmer of light. Leaving the rest of the druids in confusion and anxious for answers.

She stirred, blinking her eyes against a sudden light blinding her in brightness, yet once she was used to the light, she opened her eyes and twisted her head to the side to look around. She was in a kind of tent, furnished in weaved carpet, a few chairs, a table and a cot set up on one side; from what she could feel, she was also lying on a cot, the softness under her comfortable and warm yet she felt confused about where she was and where Gwaine was making her tense but the action made her side throb in pain from the front and the back. She brought a hand up to her side, feeling a bandage through her clothes...which weren’t actually her clothes. As much as she could from the angle she was laid in, she looked at what she was wearing, pulling the wool blanket away slightly, pleased to see some light trousers and that she was wearing a light yet covering beige tunic.

Wanting to move her body she began shifting to get up, moving herself into a sitting position through the pain she felt with a grimace. She’d just got into a sitting position not really paying attention when she heard from the entrance of the tent, ‘Merlin Ambrosius don’t you dare move another muscle or I force you onto that bed myself!’ Merlin looked up in shock into the frustrated eyes of one Morgana Pendragon, the princess looking particularly exasperated with a hand rested on her hip as she moved over to Merlin another lady behind her as they got her back into a lying position even through her complaining, ‘I’m fine Morgana!’ She said yet through a wince, ‘No you are not, my dear, I didn’t spend a day keeping you alive just for you to ruin my hard work in 10 minutes.’ The older lady said in a kind, mothering tone as she pulled up Merlin's tunic to check on her wound for any tearing of stitches. ‘A day?? I was out for a day?’ Morgana shook her head, placating Merlin gently, ‘No Merlin, you were out for 3.’ Merlin looked on in shock, letting the two women fuss around her, smoothing a pillow under her head and settling the blanket over her again. ‘3 days?? Oh God, really?’

She looked at Morgana, the princess nodding slowly, sitting at her side on a cushion on the ground, ‘Yeah, Gwaine was beside himself when we found you, almost attacked us before realising it was me. He’s been alright before you ask but spent the last 2 nights watching over you. We only just got him to leave earlier this morning to go and wash and have some food.’ She said taking one of Merlin’s hands in hers, ‘And while we don’t have to talk about it now, since Gwaine told me a little, I guess we’ll need to talk about my ass of a brother at some point won’t we?’ Merlin frowned slightly nodding all the while, ‘Yes I suppose so although I will tell you now, that I don’t know how he found out, I hadn’t used my magic in a couple of days.’ Morgana shushed her gently, ‘Don’t talk it about it now, it won’t be good for you while you’re healing and I think Alice will have a heart attack if you get worse due to stress.’ Alice nodded from where she was still looking at Merlin wound, ‘Now Iseldir and Cerdan will be glad you are awake and I’m sure Gwaine will want to know you are awake won’t he?’ Morgana said with a cheeky grin which made Merlin blush bright red, ‘There’s nothing between us if that’s what you're implying princess, we’re just friends.’ Morgana tutted, rolling her eyes, ‘Yes and I’m a troll, Merlin you obviously like him and he very much likes you I wager. Why else would he have followed you like that?’ With that said, motioning for Alice to follow, they left the tent and Merlin confused and in denial about Gwaine.

No more than 15 minutes later, of Merlin lying there bored and sore, Iseldir and Cerdan came through into the tent, giving relieved smiles to her as they settled beside her on a couple of the chairs, Iseldir taking her hand is his, ‘My friend, what a situation you have come to us in. I will not say I’m very surprised.’ Merlin chuckled slightly, ‘but it gives me no comfort seeing my friend in pain like this.’ Merlin looked sheepish, ‘It wasn’t my fault I got stabbed by a bandit. He crept up on me.’ Cerdan let out a laugh where he sat beside Iseldir, ‘Of course not Emrys, it’s not like you are still only a 24 year old woman who is still learning to use her magic as a sense instead of relying on her non-magical instincts.’ Merlin grumbled slightly at her teacher, abashed for the name he’d called her, ‘I couldn’t help it that I wasn’t able to come for lessons as much as you wanted me too.’ Cerdan smiled, ‘I know, I’m joking Emrys you do not have to worry, just focus your mind on getting better yes?’ He stood, taking his leave with an affectionate look at Iseldir, which was returned instantly. When it was just the two of them, ‘I know why you are here, so I won’t ask you to relive that but I would like to know what your plans were since, I’m sure you had no way of knowing you were going to be hurt though you were heading in our direction, so my friend what are your plans?’ He asked kindly in the fatherly tone she had come to associate with him,

‘I’m not sure, Gaius told us to make our way in this direction and I knew from your letter you’d sent me that you had moved this way so I guess that’s why he sent us this way. I did want to see Morgana, and I will need to call on Kilgharrah and Aithusa when I can, although I’m not looking forward to that. Then maybe we would have moved on again, find somewhere more permanent to stay, I didn’t want to trouble you too much, but I guess I have already, taking over someone’s tent’ She explained, yet Iseldir just commented, ‘It is no issue, my dear and this is no ones tent, we had it put up especially for you and Sir Gwaine when you arrived and Alice was helping you.’ Merlin nodded still feeling like she was inconveniencing her old friend but before she could speak any more, the flap of the tent was thrown aside and Gwaine shot through, panting heavy from running, his hair wet from washing as Morgana had mentioned earlier.

‘Oh thank the stars Merlin, you’re awake!’ She watched his body physically relax, all tension seeping from his frame, the relief on his face clear as day. Iseldir stood, saying he’d be back later on to bring her food and water and he was going to leave them to catch up. Gwaine gave him a respectful nod as he left the tent before hurrying to Merlin’s side, grasping one of her hands in his while another came to her face, cupping her cheek surprising her, ‘What a mess we made of that, ay?’ They chuckled, ‘Honestly, I say that no ones going to hurt you again and what happens less than a day later! I’ve jinxed you Merlin haven’t I’ that sobered the situation as she could see all the guilt on his face and in his eyes, however much she knew he was trying to hide it. ‘Gwaine it wasn’t your fault, I was unfocused on everything around me, I wasn’t watching out for the other man, There was no way you could have done anything in that moment. It happened before I even realised and my magic wasn’t on guard when I needed it to be, so that’s all on me. I don’t want you blaming yourself. Not for this.’ She spoke softly, resting her free hand on his, as though taming a spooked horse, which raised a question in her head, ‘I have a question…’ Totally killing the seriousness in one blow, ‘Where are the horses? Where’s Tempest?’ He grinned at her. 'The horses are safe, tied up with the others and very happily fed.' She sighed out a puff of breath in relief, ‘Good, I would have hated you if you lost my horse!’ She spoke putting on a serious face before cracking a wide smile to show she was jesting.

They soon got into a conversation about how they ended up at the camp, about how Gwaine had been panicked and angry, not wanting to leave Merlin yet not noticing the four people that had appeared out of nowhere until they got close enough to be in his eyesight and he’d grabbed at his sword turning on them, before seeing that it was Morgana. ‘I jolly well near attacked the princess, God if that had happened a few years ago I would have been thrown in the dungeons’ He recounted with a laugh, going on to say how the druid healer Alice and one of the men, who he now knew to be Cerdan had begun trying to heal her while he tried to fill Morgana and Iseldir in on what had happened. Morgana at one point grabbed a hold of his arm and called out something, and before he realised what had happened other than feeling a tingling sensation they were at the camp, with Iseldir calling for another man to go back and get the horses for them. ‘They took you away pretty quickly to the healers tent, wouldn’t let me follow but Morgana was able to sort me out a little. I will tell you now that they burnt that set of clothes, they were ruined... they had too much blood on them.’ Merlin frowned, she liked those clothes, but oh well she had more so she couldn’t really complain plus. ‘That’s fine, I wouldn't have ever wanted to wear those again anyway, too much of a reminder.’

It was at this point when she realised that she and Gwaine were still grasping onto each other's hands, making her blush slightly, hoping Gwaine would take it for the warmth of the blanket placed over her, she wasn’t going to say anything though, she wasn’t going to make it awkward between them, that much she knew.

There was lots of noise to be heard outside the tent and the need to move gradually got greater, she really wanted to move, it didn’t have to be far but she wanted to do something. If she was to be stuck in a bed for who knows how long she was going to go crazy. When the conversation with Gwaine died down into a comfortable silence, she called to Morgana in her mind, needing to relieve herself desperately and happy when Morgana and Alice tuned up and ushered Gwaine out, giving a small white lie of needing to change her dressing and he wasn’t allowed to be there when her tunic came off; that had him making a hasty exit, bashfully red-faced. They helped her up slowly and out the back of the tent to the toilets that Morgana had made in the style of the castles when she first got here, ‘I told them I was not under any circumstances going to my business in the trees, no way. Plus I think that they appreciate it as well.’ they also helped her back to her tent once she was done, settling her back down again, and when she’d asked Alice about going outside she’d said that within a day or two she would be able to go outside, still resting but outside which pleased Merlin a whole lot.

Alice then did check her wounds again, checking for any oozing or signs of infection which luckily there weren’t and Iseldir returned with some bread and a small plateful of fruit and meat cut into small pieces for easy consumption, she ate until she was full, leaving a fair amount of the food but drank all but an inch of the water she’d been given with it, feeling content afterwards. Gwaine returned a little later, bringing with him Merlin’s pack along with his and putting them on the table. ‘Are the wounds doing well?’ He asked, picking a couple pieces of fruit off of Merlin’s plate and eating them, Merlin nodded beginning to feel tired, despite being asleep for the past 3 days. ‘Mmhmm, yeah they’re healing steadily, no infection so I should be better in a little over a week and Alice says that I can go outside in a couple of days but I'll still be on rest.’ She closed her eyes, unable to keep them open for any longer however much she tried as Gwaine spoke to her, ‘That’s good then isn’t it, you won’t be cooped up in here for the rest of the week.’ He turned, from where he was digging around in his pack, to Merlin quieting down when he saw her asleep, breathing even, her chest rising steadily under the blanket over her frame. He inched over to her, giving her a glance over and gently sweeping aside a stray piece of hair from her face, retiring from the tent wanting to let her rest, she’d be awake again by the time the evening meal was ready to eat.

The afternoon went reasonably fast, Merlin in between waking and sleeping half the time, other than for taking a drink of water and pain relief tonic but awake when it was time for food. Morgana ate with her, recalling some of her training and the help it was giving her, even talking about a druid man she’d met who she felt for, ‘We’ve been courting for 1 year, his name is Nathaniel and he came to the camp a year after I arrived, and while we had no real connection for another half year, we began courting when I’d been here for 2 and a half years. He’s very sweet, thoughtful and kind, a druid who set out of his home camp to travel but he got caught doing magic and chased by guards in a neighbouring kingdom, we found him exhausted and he was brought into the camp and just never left, a bit like me.’ She spoke with clear affection for this druid man, ‘I take it he makes you happy Morgana, I have no need to threaten him as Emrys do I?’ Drawing a chuckle from both, Morgana shook her head, ‘No my friend, you have no need, he is kind and makes me very happy, happier than any man has ever tried to make me. He is interesting and actually talks with sense and reason and respect. He is a very good man.’ Merlin was very happy for Morgana, seeing her so carefree and more relaxed than she ever appeared at Camelot.

‘I’m glad for you, you seem genuinely happy here and your magic feels the strongest it’s ever been, yet controlled and calm.’ Morgana nodded, ‘I feel calm, as though nothing can harm me while I’m here, I don’t have to hide myself and feel frightened and you were right Merlin, Iseldir is a great teacher, I was able to gain basic control in less than 9 moons and I only got better since then. I guess I owe it all to you for telling me and helping me, even if that stupid old lizard didn’t want you too!’ Morgana said getting frustrated at the mention of Kilgharrah. ‘You don’t owe me anything really, you are my friend, I was going to help you in any case. The lizard just goes by what is prophesied, without thinking that prophecies can be altered in time, just like yours and just like mine.’ They continued catching up for longer before Merlin began to feel tired again and Morgana helped her wash, much to Merlin’s embarrassment that her Princess was doing this for her, and helped smooth her drying hair away from her face, tying it in a loose plait. ‘I’ll come and see you tomorrow morning. Rest well Merlin, I’ll make sure he doesn’t make too much noise when he comes back, oh, I um hope you don’t mind sharing the tent, I didn’t think to ask.’ She looked embarrassed, ‘It’s fine Morgana, I don’t mind, we’ve had to share a tent before once on a trip to the west Kingdom. We’re fine, thank you and I’ll see you tomorrow.’ Morgana seemed reassured and sent a regal smile before leaving the tent, wrapping a shawl around her shoulder to shelter her from the rain that had come up.

Merlin tried settling down, but found herself going back to Camelot, back to the King and Queen, all her friends and her uncle, suddenly feeling sorry for herself, but at the same time, feeling angry that her destiny was now being changed because of the prat’s inability to listen to reason. Deciding that she would send word to Gaius and Lancelot at some point in the next week, she was then able to give in to the exhaustion that still overcame her body, tucking the blankets up to her chin and shifting the pillow a little to be in the right place for her head, making sure to not jostle her wounds too much, the pull of healing skin painful. She had been able to get to her shoulder bag, it being placed beside her bed and with some manoeuvring, been able to pull out the wrapped up spell book, rose and dragon figure. She took out the dragon figure, playing with it slightly, running her fingers over the wings and tail thinking of what Balinor would have done in this situation but coming up with no answer and it was at this time that Gwaine made his reappearance, wet from the rain pouring down outside. ‘It’s freezing out there, why is the rain so cold?’ He was shivering slightly, wet hair sticking to his forehead and his neck, ‘It’s rain, it doesn't choose to be hot or cold!’ She teased, laughing when he mock frowned at her, shaking his hair at her before asking, ‘Could you turn away for a minute or two Merls? I need to change.’

As though she’d been struck, her head moved in the other direction and her hands flew to her face, covering her eyes in darkness even as she could hear Gwaine chuckling and the sound of wet clothes hitting the floor. It was quite while he dried and changed but as soon as he was done, they carried on talking, Gwaine throwing his wet clothes over a rack at one side to dry a bit and fiddling around with his bed, grabbing his other blanket before taking a seat, looking at Merlin and she played with the figure. ‘What’s that?’ Merlin glanced his way, relieved to see him in a shirt, or be still her beating heart. Holding up the figure she explained, ‘My father, Balinor had been carving this when we found him, I hadn’t known what it was when I first saw it but he left it beside me while I slept. It’s a miniature dragon, I guess a carving of The Great Dragon. Why the crazy old lizard deserves a carving I don’t know but it’s the first and last thing he gave me, so I kept it . Hidden of course but it still means a lot to me.’ She placed it back down with the rest of her things and settled once again, watching Gwaine, watch her.

There was silence between them, just watching each other as the sound of rain gradually got softer as the worst of it passed, only breaking when Gwaine whispered out in a scared, utterly defeated way, ‘I thought I lost you Merlin… I thought I had watched you die in front of me and that there was nothing I could do to help you. I’m so sorry Merlin!’ His body wracked with sobs as he broke down in front of her, tears lighting up in the light of the torches. She felt her heart break at the sight, her strong knight looking so vulnerable, something she had never seen of him before, her magic aching to protect and shelter him as she did. There was an instinctive pull she felt, a flash of gold and without even saying a spell, her bed had moved and she was now next to Gwaine, just like when she’d saved Gaius on her first day in Camelot. She didn’t even think of her injuries as she surged up to wrap her arms around his shaking shoulders. ‘It was not your fault! Gwaine I told you before, it wasn't your fault, you have nothing to be sorry for. I’m alive, I'm here, I’m safe and I’m healing Gwaine, I’m getting better. You have done so much for me since we met and I owe you everything. I don’t want you blaming yourself, please.’ She trailed off, soothing hands over his back and head as he buried his head into the crook of her shoulder, she could feel his tears on her bed clothes but paid no mind, worried for her best friend, her knight.

His arms were wrapped firmly around her, yet still conscious of the wounds on each side of her body as he continued to let out a stream of ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!’ Merlin shutting down every attempt for him to blame himself. They stayed in that embrace even once his tears had subsided, just holding each other, Merlin absentmindedly running fingers through the base of his hair, the feeling natural to her even though she’d never done it before; she didn’t even feel the same butterflies like normal, it was more a sense of caring and of love, though she wasn’t ready to admit that. Soon enough though the moment was over, Merlin began to notice pain from the position she’d thrown herself into and Gwaine was pulling away almost reluctantly, wiping his eyes and looking very sheepish as he asked, ‘Are you sure? Are you sure you’re ok?’ She nodded resolutely, ‘I am fine, decently sore but I’m fine Gwaine, believe me on this please.’ Similar to what he’d done for her the night before, she wiped away a few stray tears, giving him what she hoped was a firmly reassuring look.

It was at this point where they realised what position they were in, Gwaine sat on his bed, Merlin’s bracketing his legs as she clung to him at an angle, faces very close together ‘Jeez Merlin, you’re going to pull something, come on lie back down..’ Just like that they were back to normal, Gwaine quickly pulled away, made her lie down and then pushed her bed back over to it’s previous spot with a little effort against the weaved flooring, leaving opportunities for jest ‘You’re gaining weight Merlin, sheesh!’ She gave him a mock scandalised smack on the arm, rolling her eyes at him, ‘You offend me Sir Knight, I am a lady, even if you may have forgotten so speaking of weight isn’t something you should remind me of’ Gwaine chortled, finally moving her bed back into its place, ‘There you go, back where you started!’ She fake swooned, ‘thank you Sir Knight. I thank thee most graciously and retire to sleep.’ She exaggeratedly flopped her head down onto the pillow and closed her eyes making Gwaine laugh rather loudly, quickly cutting it off as he returned to his space, lying down himself and getting under the couple of blankets he’d swiped from Camelot, ‘Goodnight Merlin, sleep well.’ She gave him one last look, ‘You too Gwaine, goodnight.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoy for a start!
> 
> Now I must say that I will be making a decent amount of changes to 'Merlin', some events will not have happened and some will be made new. Characters may or may not be in this story and depending on how I decide to write this, will decide what happens and when. There may also be some moments that don't particularity match up since I am writing this story as I go. (Apologies in advance!)  
> Now I hope this doesn't deter anyone from reading my fic and that you continue to enjoy it.
> 
> If you wish to make comments, please do, I would really appreciate some feedback. Honestly, It's making me nervous that people may not be enjoying this so far. I only want it to be enjoyed by everyone so I you want to please do!
> 
> Enjoy- Glass F xx


	4. By a Starling pt.1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things still aren't running smooth for Merlin, she still has things to learn, things to figure out for herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don't know how to write summaries, but I'm trying. 
> 
> I'm sorry this took so long to post for the people waiting. It took quite a long time to write and even them I have had to split the chapter in two.
> 
> Enjoy x

Their plans had changed since first arriving at the druid camp, they ended up staying for over a month. It had been nice though, an awakening for Merlin, never having spent time around many people with magic, even if she’d met a few before. She had struggled for a couple of days, not really being able to move around like normal due to her wounds, though they were getting better day by day and she was allowed to spend time outside, resting in a chair, talking to Iseldir and Morgana most of the time while Gwaine went with Cerdan for resources and hunting with some of the other men of the camp, Gwaine had struck up a real friendship with Cerdan, similar in a few ways, both bearded, tall and a little more reckless than most others; they also had a real disliking for most nobles, excluding Morgana and Sir Leon who Cerdan had helped heal a few years ago. The knights of the round table, although not understanding of magic, were harder to dislike because of how good friends to Gwaine and Merlin they had been, Lancelot being the only person other than Gaius that had known about Merlin’s magic. Merlin still hadn’t contacted Gaius and Lancelot, she’d planned to, many times, but never did not know the best way how, she’d begun writing to them, not much at the moment but it was a start for now. She really just didn’t know what to say to them. 

There were other things on her mind during this time, a slow burning tension between her and Gwaine since that night he’d broken down to her; subtle at first but gradually since then there is something there between them that she hadn’t noticed before. They were fine with each other, but every look he gave her burnt into her soul, a wave of indistinguishable emotion in his eyes. Every time they happened to accidentally touch each other it was like her heart sped up 5 times faster and butterflies collected in her stomach. They still lived in the same tent but subconsciously they tried to spend as little time in there alone as they could, and if they were both in there they kept to their own sides.

There was also something going on with her magic, she was struggling to use it, she couldn’t control it, and it was beginning to hurt her in the form of headaches and bruising around her arms and upper chest. Morgana noticed nearly as soon as Merlin had, but hadn’t said anything, even though Merlin knew, she knew; Cerdan noticed quickly and informed Iseldir but again they said nothing to her. Gwaine took longer to realise only noticing when he began seeing the bruises but when he did ask, she said nothing. At first there had been nothing wrong but after some time she could barely use it for simple spells, either they’d go wrong or opposite, or they just wouldn’t work. It was over two weeks, her control had slipped as well, causing a couple of thunderstorms without realising until they were almost too strong, threatening to pull the tents up and away. In the end, her eyes stopped flashing gold and for Morgana, Iseldir and Cerdan that was enough for them to intervene. Morgana dragged Merlin from her tent with Gwaine following over to Iseldir and Cerdan’s tent, sitting her down in front of their mentor’s and asking her straight up what was happening with her. 

In a matter of seconds, Merlin had broken, tears springing to her eyes as they faintly glittered gold before returning to blue, ‘I don’t know! I was fine, I was fine I swear, then it began happening and I didn’t realise until it began to hurt.’ Morgana took Merlin into her arms hugging her close, looking alarmingly at her mentors and Gwaine. ‘It feels like when I was a child, when I had to keep it in for days at a time when visiting nobility came to Ealdor but it feels worse, like at moments I want to just let it out but it won’t, it feels like it's constantly at the surface, burning under my skin and it hurts but when I try to release it, it won’t, simple spells, like the light I create or to make fire, they don’t work, I’ve never not been able to do them, never!’ All the while she was talking, her eyes were barely flashing gold like her magic was at war inside her. Iseldir came and took Morgana’s place and reciting a quiet spell watched something, not visible to the others, though the magic users could feel the magic in the air. ‘Emrys don’t be afraid to speak with us about anything troubling you once this is over, I am your mentor and your friend, we all are and this is a safe environment.’ Merlin looked so drained as she weakly nodded her head, ‘You will sleep in a few moments and in that you will be able to find your peace. It will help you as much as you allow it, so try not to resist its influence.’ 

Iseldir held her closer as her head slumped forward on his shoulder into a dream like state. ‘What have you done Iseldir?’ Cerdan asked as his companion moved Merlin onto a spread of thick, soft cushions on the floor with Morgana’s help. ‘I have done the same thing it did with you all those years ago, my one; when I helped to restore the balance of your body and your magic, do you remember?’ Cerdan nodded, in awe of understanding, while Gwaine and Morgana looked worried at Merlin, ‘She is in a dream state, meant to balance the body, though I do not know how well it will work with Emrys since her power is infinite to our abilities. She will have to take time to work through her own struggles and while it could work fairly quickly like with Cerdan, it could take far longer with her. I will stay with her, to ensure no complications and I want no argument, a tense keeping will cause her harm.’ That statement was held with authority and a pointed look at the younger two in the tent. ‘If at any moment assistance is needed then Morgana I will look to you and Cerdan but for now, peace is what Emrys needs’.

_Fog, thick white fog surrounded her, masking any feature of recognition. She knew she was in another state of mind, and looking around her, she was dressed in an all white dress, the pure colour and barefoot. Away from her, she looked as the fog swirled and twisted to reveal a pathway before her, leading through wooded greenery. She stood unsure for moments before the feeling of a push against her back from an invisible hand moving her forward, the fog closing the path behind her as she continued into the heart of the forest. A gust of wind blew her hair in directions, whipping around her head, creating chills down her body as lightness began to shine through the fog, growing brighter and brighter as the path of fog opened up onto a clearing, a risen plinth sat in the middle, completely devoid of plants or vines surrounding it, gleaming white and pure. There were a mixture of twisted, dead trees and living, healthy ones spotted around, flowers cascading from them in sheets of multiple colours._

_She looked around, the fog having closed behind her, leaving her no option but to stay, the insistent push of it against her back guiding her further into the clearing. The plinth in the middle drew her attention, not golden glad, nor very special in many a person's eyes but perfect, no damage, no imperfections, completely intact and shining like none other. She was looking for an indication of significance from this when, from behind her she felt a sudden warmth and golden glow moving before her. She spun around, a feeling of protective energy manifesting in her magic, yet the same real feeling of pain crushed inside her but she paid no mind, absentmindedly rubbing a hand over her chest. The trees were parting, branches and trunks swaying in natural motion to some kind of force, the glow getting brighter, brighter and closer before splitting into three, the centre glow staying as bright as ever, while the glow on the left of her grew more blush yet as bright and the glow on the right grew more white and cold._

_She watched in wonder as the glow manifested into people, three women all as beautiful as the next and all with radiant gold eyes. She studied them, the woman on the left hand had platinum blonde waist length hair, youthful features and was dressed in a silver, water-like floor length dress with a silver bow and a single arrow clutched in her hands. The woman in the centre, had beautiful thigh length, deep brown hair decorated in a golden moon circlet, she had mature feminine features and was dressed in a deep red floor length dress that showcased her childbearing stomach. In her hand a single, perfect white rose. The final woman, older in appearance yet still graceful as the others, had shoulder length hair, black with many streaks of silver working their way through, she had age lines on her face showing her age yet at the same time looked just as young as the other two, though most of her features were shrouded in a dark grey-near black cloak, yet in one time worn hand, she held a small black handled, black bladed sickle. Even then the women didn’t feel very threatening at all, they just gave off a feeling of fullness and completion all at once._

_'Who are you?’ Her voice was less forceful than she meant it to be, more full of curiosity than anything else. They smiled all at once not moving from their positions, looking at her, the way a mother would at her child before speaking simultaneously, voices layered on top of each other yet never overpowering, ‘We are I, we are you, we are everything that was, is and shall be in magic.’ Her eyes widened as she instinctively moved into a low curtsy, ‘Goddess forgive me for my_ _impertinence, I did not know it was my Goddess!’ There was a warm feeling of calm which brushed across her at the call of a youthful, yet wise voice, ‘You would not have known, unless we caused you too, do not worry child.’ The Grey Goddess spoke up, ‘Now, child, we felt a disturbance in you and called for you to be brought before us. You are frightened in your magic and have been concealing it within’ The Golden Goddess carried on before she could reply, ‘You should have no fear in yourself, your gifts are given by us. What causes you such fear, my daughter?’_

_Golden eyes watched her closely, as she fought for words, ‘I do not know…’ Gold eyes flashed in warning, ‘Child! Do not lie to us, we know your mind, body and soul. Magic and all. Do not lie. Speak!’ Thunder cracked above, causing her to cringe slightly, '_ _I really don’t know!’ She pleaded, only for the thunder to get louder, wind to range, pulling at her hair and dress, the Goddess showing no signs of movement or strain from her power, until finally it got too much to handle. ‘I’M FRIGHTENED OF BEING HURT!’ The wind calmed, ‘I’m frightened of being hurt, of being dragged away from the people I care about…’ She admitted, the thunder ceasing the moment she spoke. The Golden Goddess stepped forward from her position, ‘Our Emrys, our Merlin, dearly favoured one, you shall have no harm come to you. Favoured for a reason you are, favoured by the Goddess of your creation you shall always be.’ The other two parts of the Goddess walked forward too, all three speaking together once again, ‘Your destiny was written, your destiny was in place… it has been altered, twisted from our plans but still in our control. You shall continue your journey, you shall help reunite Albion in another way.’_

_The Goddess came together around the plinth in the centre, eyes blazing, focused on their child. Raising the objects in their hands, they placed them down on the plinth, a beam of light bursting forth of the sky, a blinding white light filling the clearing as Merlin shielded her eyes, hearing in three all-powerful voices, ‘_ _I call upon the Earth, for the Old Religion! Release her power for her chosen one in a vessel of strength and purity. Honour this Goddess, for this is my will, my command!’ The blinding white went away, leaving in its wake a crash of lighting striking the plinth and the sacred objects. Merlin watched in nothing but awe, as the Earth shook, thunder roared and the wind howled yet the Goddess stood firm as though the world was calm, no hair moving out of place._

_Once the elements died down, and the clearing was at peace, she was finally able to see what the Goddess had done with her symbols. On the plinth where once stood, a bow and arrow, a single white rose and a sickle, rested on a white cushion, now lay a velvet blue tear shaped sapphire, glittering brightly in a ray of sun cast down on it. The Golden Goddess, drew forward again, taking it up in one delicate hand and motioned for Merlin to come close, walking from the other side of the plinth to her Goddess’s side, shrinking slightly from her powerful gaze, ‘A gift my daughter, a gift to be used for good, for life, for us! It will harness your natural abilities and make them more powerful, more projecting, more controlled.’ The Grey Goddess said as the precious gem was placed in her palm, Merlin went into a curtsy, ‘Thank you Goddess for this gift, though I have no way of using it, as before my magic was not working, I couldn't control it… I still won’t be able to, even with this gift!’ She averted her eyes forlorn, until a small delicate hand raised her head to look at the youthful White Goddess, ‘Daughter…’ She smiled again, the same mothering look on her face, ‘You have all the control you will ever need….’ A rush of energy flooding her body, a look into the golden eyes of these ethereal beings the last thing she saw as the fog descended on her, swirling and engulfing her, drawing her sight away from her Goddess and into white, the last thing she heard being ‘You are forever favoured… Dear Emrys…..Dear Merlin…’_

She sat up with a gasp, breath catching in her throat, coughing violently. Iseldir sat up from where he’d been sitting watching her, dropping his book, reaching out and holding onto her shoulders to stabilise her while using his magic to bring over a cup of water to soothe her throat. Her hair had fallen across her face due to the wild movement she’d gone through at points of her being unconscious so he swept a few strands behind her ear to keep them out of her eyes. She hadn’t been out as long as thought, only being out for the rest of the day, nightfall having drawn closer and most of the druids were having their evening meal; Iseldir called out to Morgana and Cerdan to come back, knowing that Gwaine would also be accompanying them. Merlin gulped back the water, thankful of its refreshing qualities, panting once finished with it, asking how long she’d been out, ‘Less than a full day, my dear, you surprise me in waking this early, I had assumed it would be longer than that.’ Cerdan’s calming voice drew attention to the new inhabitants of the tent, ‘When did she wake?’ coming over to check Merlin over briefly noting that the bruising on her arms and chest were now gone.

‘About 10 minutes ago. Quicker than expected mind you but I can tell that her magic is finally at peace after this restoration.’ Morgana spoke from where she’d seated herself next to Merlin, the girl exhausted and leaning into her, ‘I can feel it, the explosive energy is now gone and in her magic I can now feel calm. Are you feeling better Merlin, no pain, nothing?’ Merlin nodded, ‘It doesn’t hurt anymore and I feel at one with my magic once again. I haven’t felt this good in a while.’ She closed her eyes, resting against Morgana’s shoulder, ‘Merls, what’s that in your hand?’ Gwaine asked, she looked down, not realising she’d been holding something in her left hand, not being able to feel it.

In all the commotion of her actually waking up, no one had noticed in that moment, the large velvet blue Sapphire in her hand. The precious crystal was nearly weightless, though with its size it should have been far heavier than it was. ‘A gift…’ She trailed off, unbelieving that it was there and it was real. ‘A gift? From who Emrys?’ Iseldir asked, looking intently at Merlin and the sapphire in her hand, ‘The Triple Goddess… I think she gave it to me… She was beautiful.’ Cerdan breathed in deeply, ‘You saw the triple Goddess? What happened?’ He asked in wonder, the rest of the occupants of the room feeling the same way. 

Merlin recounted what had happened as much as she could, her mind still feeling foggy and her body strumming with energy and power of her magic once again in harmony with herself. She relived the first look at her, the talk, the raw power she felt all around her, ending with the stones creation. ‘It was like nothing I’ve ever felt before, just the energy, the rawness of her abilities was overwhelming. She was intimidating, yet I felt like I was...home, in some weird way, I felt so comforted and so complete all at once. She also kept on calling me daughter but I don’t know why.’ She ended her story, looking at Iseldir who was admiring the sapphire in his hands, ‘Emrys. Magic is given to us by the Triple Goddess, she grants us our powers, our gifts as you already know but in your case.’

He motioned for Cerdan to grab something from a cabinet on the other side of their tent. ‘My grandfather knew of your coming, his father, you have been prophesied for years and nearly all magic folk know your name. You are special because you have been gifted especially by the Goddess herself, you Merlin were chosen by her and a far greater portion of her energy was given to you as a babe, partnering that with that of your father’s. She chose you to reunite Albion herself, so with that’ Cerdan returned with an opened book, placing it in Merlin's lap, ‘You have a part of the Goddess to a degree no one else has ever had or ever will. In all meaning, you are her daughter, she made you through your mother and father!’ Merlin looked over the page in front of her, brow furrowed slightly, Morgana looking over her shoulder at the book, along with Gwaine who had finally taken a seat near her, close but not close enough to touch.

The book talked all about the prophecy of her, of Emrys, of what Emrys was going to do for magic and of course ‘The Once and Future King’, making her frown even more. ‘Kilgharrah told me of my destiny, but I didn’t realise it was so widely known, of course you and your druids knew but I thought that was because you were part of Camelot. I didn’t know it was in a book!’ Cerdan chuckled, ‘You’re prophecy is in many books of the Old Religion, and it isn’t just confined to magic folk, there are many kingdoms and normal folk who know of Emrys even if they don’t know what your real name is, many also do not know you are female. Which is how you should keep it for now. Only the members of this camp and your trusted individuals will know your true identity Merlin, it will be safer for you.’ Merlin nodded, ‘Yes of course. I don’t particularly want people knowing my name, it will lead to bad things for the camp which I do not want, you are my friends and I don’t want anyone getting hurt because of me.’

She handed the book back to Iseldir who gave her back the crystal, ‘I have never seen a crystal as perfect as this, no blemishes, nothing and to think this will help you centre your magic, it’s incredible. The Goddess really does do amazing things. Now that we are through with this, shall we get you some food, since you haven’t eaten since breakfast.’ He helped her up as well as Morgana and the five of them made their way outside to the rest of the camp where everyone was still eating. One of the older druid ladies fixed Merlin a bowl of stew which she gratefully took before walking over to their normal eating spot on a set of carved out chairs in a large log. Her bowl was the only one piping hot, so the others had to say a small spell to heat it up again and like normal Iseldir and Cerdan were sitting together, as were Gwaine and Merlin, with Morgana and Nathaniel beside them. 

Gwaine and Merlin had finally met Nathaniel a few days after Merlin had woken up, Merlin now being allowed outside, even though she was struggling not to do anything, so used to constantly being on the move back in Camelot. She’d been sitting near Alice’s table, helping her strip herbs off their stems for various poultices and medicines, when Morgana had come over, a rather tall blonde man following behind. For a split second Merlin thought it was Arthur but after looking again realised it wasn’t him, her magic quietening from the surface as her fear dissipated as the two of them got closer, ‘Merlin, feeling better today? Morgana asked, guiding a hand through Merlin’s messy hair, ‘Yes I’m feeling better, the wounds are healing very well, although they will scar but that I can deal with. What about you?’ Merlin looked up at her, smiling yet asking with her eyes the question of the blonde man. Morgana got the gist and turned from Merlin a little, gesturing for the man to come forward before linking her arm through his. ‘I'm fine thank you and now Merlin, this is Nathaniel my beau and Nathaniel as you may realise this is Merlin, one of my closest friends.’ Nathaniel gave Merlin a respectful head tip, ‘A pleasure to meet a friend of my love, she’s told me a number of things about you.’

He had a vocal tone similar to that of Lancelot, pleasant to listen to, ‘All good I hope, but less likely for all the trouble I can cause.’ Merlin smiled, watching him closely. He was tall, slightly shorter than Merlin yet taller than Morgana, he had blonde hair, similarly cut to Percival, he was clean shaven but there was a little stubble on his face. She stood up, much to Alice’s complaint, leaning against her chair as support, Morgana placing a hand on her side for extra stability. ‘All good I assure you, though, any trouble hasn’t really come up in conversation.’ His tone was off and she realised, subconsciously she'd been sizing him up, magic flaring, via the small insistent pressure Morgana had put on her side with her fingers and his strained smile. She drew her magic back from the surface, ‘I apologise. I haven’t had many good encounters with men as of late, neither with the men who have tried to pursue Morgana. It’s nothing personal.’ Morgana’s hand grasped her own, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

‘I assure you, I have no ill intent for my Lady, she is far too precious to me for that. I promise I am not like other men.’ He seemed sincere, which gave Merlin some hope for them, ‘I know, but my magic does not, my magic will instinctively protect those who it deems important to me and there are moments where I have no control on how it reacts to strangers. However, I understand from what she has told me of you, that you are a good man, so I will hold you to that. Treat her well, that is all I ask of you.’ She held him with what she hoped was a stern gaze, ‘Of course, I wouldn’t dream of hurting her.’ He held her look while Morgana blushed bright, ‘Merlin! I’m older than you and I can look after myself, don't forget.’ Merlin cut her staring match to chuckle at Morgana, ‘I know you are, my princess, never said you couldn’t my princess.’ Morgana swatted her arm with a little huff before helping Merlin sit down again, taking a seat next to her to help with the herbs since there were so many to do. 

She encouraged Nathaniel to join them, which he did with a little hesitation before Merlin assured him that it was fine to do so. 

Once they were all down, they talked a little with Alice as they worked, moving from one herb to the next before Gwaine had come back from hunting with a couple of the older teenage boys, handing them the rabbits to take to the cooks, then coming over to the table. ‘How’d the hunting go?’ Merlin called out, ‘Yeah it was fine, the boys have a good sense of direction and are quite capable in hunting. They just need a couple of pointers with the stealth side of it.’ He was sweating a bit, a drop rolling down his brow as he took a seat next to Merlin, acknowledging Alice and Morgana before tuning in on the other male at the table. He gave him a look before catching eyes with Merlin, the unspoken question in his eyes. ‘Gwaine, this is Nathaniel, Morgana’s beau.’ She explained with a raised brow, a silent conversation of _BE NICE_ on her face. ‘Right, hope you're looking after the Princess alright. The name’s Gwaine, I’m Merlin's knight and best friend.’ Merlin looked away blushing a little, silently pleased he’d called himself her knight. ‘Pleased to meet you, yes Morgana is in good hands, although I doubt she would need much help if she was in trouble. Her power is greater than mine in all ways. I am just a simple healer, nothing more.’ Morgana smiled through the slight pink decorating her cheeks, glancing briefly at him before going back to picking herbs with Merlin.

After all the protective tension was broken, the four young adults continued talking well into the afternoon, finding out things about each other and bonding, Nathaniel had looked absolutely shocked when Cerdan had come over calling Merlin her druid name, causing her not only embarrassment but also annoyance because now Nathaniel was going to start acting strange around her; but to her surprise, he didn’t change how he acted other than asking some questions which was nothing new, when she’d first come to the druid camp a few years ago, all she was asked were questions and being called Emrys. While she didn’t exactly like it much, she got used to it after trying to get them to call her Merlin, only Iseldir, Cerdan and Alice called her Merlin but even then they still would call her Emrys. 

‘Merls, are you ok?’ Merlin came back from reminiscing to look at Gwaine, ‘Yeah, I was just thinking about when we first met Nath. How I think I nearly went full Emrys on him!’ She looked at Morgana and Nathaniel, ‘Nath did I go full Emrys on you when we first met? I can’t really remember’ He shrugged, ‘I remember feeling cold when you were staring at me, then Morgana nudged you and it got warm again. I guess in that moment I should have realised you were more powerful than most.’ That drew a chuckle from the group. ‘I’m still really sorry about that!’ He waved her off, ‘No need, I know it’s because you care about Morgana, she is one of your closest friends, I hold no grudge over you for it.’ Morgana spoke up next, ‘I don’t think you went full Emrys, but you were definitely on your way there. I also remember that the day you woke up and I told you about him, you asked whether you needed to warn him or not. I think I told you no, but you did anyway.’ Merlin gaped slightly, ‘Hey, I had no control over that, it was instinctual at that point. I hadn’t realised I was doing it until you snapped me out of it.’ Conversation then returned to normal, taking it away from the situation of the day, although Iseldir wanted Merlin to come to him the next day to practice some magic, just so there was support for if anything were to go wrong despite it being unlikely. The night winded down, the mothers of the camp hurrying their children off to bathe and bed with some fuss from the older children but soon enough it was just the adults of the camp, talking quietly among themselves. 

‘I have something to say’ Iseldir stood up, bringing attention to himself, ‘At some point soon, we will have to move on. There have been too many instances of bandits getting too close for comfort to the camp, it’s only a matter of time before they actually find us and that needs to be avoided at all costs. Try not to worry so much, but be prepared to move at any point. That’s all for now.’ He sat down again as the camp settled into concern, muttering between themselves, ‘Iseldir, why didn’t you say something before if bandits were getting too close?’ Morgana asked with worry on her face as the other druids began to disperse off to their own tents, some talking of packing their belongings already. ‘I didn’t think it was right considering Merlin and the children, I didn’t want to frighten them or cause them anxiety. Their parents will be in charge of letting them know in a gentle way when it’s needed.’ Merlin looked away guilty, ‘You could have told me earlier, I may have given me more incentive to get harmony with my magic, and quicker.’

Iseldir just shook his head, ‘No Merlin, you needed that time, however long it was, to heal, to bond with yourself otherwise I doubt it would have been as effective. I can feel you magic in a way that I have never sensed before, even before you lost it, you had been very clear, but now it’s on a whole new strength, which is why tomorrow I want to help guide you through some spells and then we can figure out how what to do with the gift.’ Merlin gripped onto the sapphire in her pocket as she nodded, ‘Yes it would be helpful if I had something to enclose it in. Now although I wish to speak longer, I fear I will fall asleep if I stay, so I’m going to go back to my tent and turn in for the night. When would you like to see me tomorrow?’ Iseldir looked at Cerdan, a silent conversation held before he said, ‘Mid-morning, giving us both a chance to sleep a little more, Morgana I also want you there please, you could do a little testing as well.’ Both women nodded and then, saying goodnight, Merlin rose and headed off for the tent, stifling yawns as she went, saying goodnight to anyone she met on the way. 

Back in her tent, she picked her simple bed clothes from her bed and went behind a screen that she and Gwaine had installed to give them both some privacy while dressing and undressing. She changed, quickly, coming back out and putting that set of clothes down for a wash. Next she took the pins from her hair, set them down and began brushing it with the brush on her bedside stool. There were plenty of painful knots that she had to get through before it was all smooth and knot free and she could tie it up in a plait to sleep in. Sleep was quickly creeping up on her so she crawled into bed and settled underneath her blankets, letting the exhaustion take her over. 


	5. By a Starling pt.2

_‘Meeerrlinn, Merlin.’_ She woke with a start, sitting up in her bed and looking over at Gwaine who was still sleeping, snoring lightly. Thinking she was mistaken she went to go back to sleep, laying back down and closing her eyes before the same voice sounded again, this time though she recognised the call, sleep no longer holding her. Rolling her eyes, she pulled on her boots as quietly as possible and tugged on her jacket, before leaving the tent, hopefully without waking Gwaine. She heard the call of her name again and so followed the voice out of the camp, as quiet as possible, not wanting anyone to wake up. She walked for a while, creating a light orb to guide her through the dense trees safely and thankful of her jacket as the cold nipped at her legs under her night clothes, pulling it closer round her as she continued on. She eventually came to an open spot in the trees, a large clearing of grass and vast space, seeing nothing there, she let out a sigh and began to turn back into the trees when two large gusts of wind shook the trees violently making her turn around as two large shapes became clearer and clearer against the moon.

She waited for them to land, the ground shaking at the impact and she lost a little bit of balance but corrected herself. ‘Kilgharrah, why do you call me in the middle of the night? I was enjoying that sleep.’ Merlin said in annoyance, though moving forward a little way to meet the second dragon in the middle, the large cow sized dragon running full speed at her, knocking her over onto her bottom with a huff, ‘Yes Aithusa, my darling girl it’s great to see you too, but you’re way too big to be doing that now.’ She shuffled the white dragon off of her with some effort, stroking her head and cooing to her in hushed tones for a few minutes before turning back to the full grown dragon, a raised eyebrow reminiscent of Gaius. ‘Well Kilgharrah? Explain yourself.’ The giant creature rolled his eyes, letting out a huff of hot air before speaking, ‘Young witch, you’re on a new path and I must enquire why?’ Merlin frowned, ‘I thought you knew everything? But anyway, the King found out and I was banished, so yes Kilgharrah, my path _has_ changed for no fault of mine.’

The great dragon shook his head, ‘Young witch, I am not blaming you for the faults of a Pendragon, your path hasn’t been easy and it never will be, especially now but I you so wish it I will help you and you are already assured the help of the young one, cheeky thing. Oh I had forgotten what it was like to be around hatchlings.’ He watched Aithusa with a look of a wearied grandfather, making Merlin chuckle. ‘If you are willing to help me, I thank you. I do not need this situation any harder than it already is, so by the fact you are not challenging me, it helps greatly. Yes she does seem like a bit of trouble, doesn’t she. Aithusa you must behave for him, he has knowledge which you need to know, listen to him, for although cryptic at times, he is wise and has helped a lot, even if he did try to burn down Camelot.’ She mumbled that last bit, running fingers over the soft scales of Aithusa’s head.

There was a crunch of leaves behind them, causing the hairs on the back of Merlin’s neck to rise and Kilgharrah and Aithusa to growl low. She turned, ready to defend herself if needed and waited, watching the trees as the noise got closer and closer until she felt a known presence, ‘Morgana, what are you doing here?’ She relaxed as Morgana stepped into the clearing, Gwaine right behind her, ‘Gwaine, you too?’ Gwaine had stopped sharp, mouth open gawking at the scene in front of him whereas Morgana had just rolled her eyes and tutted, ‘Really Merlin, you think I wouldn’t notice your energy moving away? It woke me up, so I went to see if you were alright but you weren’t there, so I woke Gwaine up and we followed you using the signature you left behind.’ She looked from Merlin up at Kilgharrah, a look of disdain on her face, ‘Oh it’s the lizard, what a surprise.’ Kilgharrah stared back, ‘The feeling is mutual Witch.’ Merlin rolled her eyes and moved over to Gwaine still frozen in concern, ‘Gwaine? Are you alright?’ His eyes flicked from Kilgharrah to Merlin and to Aithusa, stood by her looking at him then back to Merlin, ‘Um, um, um, Yeah, I err. Hmm didn’t realise it was that big and what is that one?’ He stood very still, barely moving as Aithusa began scenting him, circling round both his and Merlin's legs.

Merlin laughed, reaching down to hold onto Aithusa’s wing gently, stopping her from getting too close to him. ‘I told you of the Great Dragon before but I think I left out the part of Aithusa, my little dragon. I hatched her from the egg in the Tomb of Ashkanar, that I told the King had been destroyed.’ Gwaine looked at her in wonder, then back at the white dragon, ‘She’s the last dragon?’ Merlin nodded, saddened by that fact still. ‘Strength decided to join you I see, young witch; Sir Gwaine it's a pleasure to meet you.’ Gwaine froze, looking up at the Great Dragon, ‘Nice to meet you too.’ He sounded confident but there was a bit of a shake on his words, feeling pity for him, she reached over and took his hand, pulling him further from the trees and towards Morgana and Kilgharrah. ‘Don’t worry, you’re safe, neither of them can hurt you, especially Aithusa, she’s still a baby.’ Gwaine gripped tight onto her hand in thanks, staying silent. ‘Come on, sit down with me.’ Merlin tucked her nightdress round her legs, so she could sit down properly, Gwaine and Morgana joining her, huddled pretty close due to the cold of the night, ‘Why you couldn’t have done this any other time than in the middle of a cold night I don’t know.’ Merlin complained as Kilgharrah, lowered his huge self onto the floor in a half laying half sitting position, ‘I apologise, for I do not feel the elements as you humans do.’

Saying that, he let out a huge breath of warm air which settled over the three humans, heating the air surrounding them, ‘Much better’ Morgana said, arm in arm with Merlin, the girls leaning into each other. Gwaine was beginning to relax, being up close and personal with the Great Dragon beginning to seem less scary but had forgotten about the young white dragon until he felt a warmth against his back making him jump, his head whipping round into the bright blue eyes of the white dragon staring at him intently, ‘Gwaine relax, really your safe. They won’t hurt you, she wouldn’t dare knowing I’m friends with you.’ Merlin and Morgana were leaning back against her too, Morgana running a hand over her tail which was curled over their laps. ‘As long as you’re kind to Merlin, this little one will love you for eternity, won’t you Aithusa?’ Morgana cooed to the dragon, who had perked up at hearing her name, making a little chuffing noise in acknowledgement and trying to shuffle even closer than possible to the humans.

Gwaine chuckled, involuntarily at the display of affection, ‘She’s a bit like a cat or a dog isn’t she? Just a very big one.’ He said taking a risk to reach a hand over to her head, letting her sniff his hand first before she pushed her snout into his palm eager for attention. ‘Very much like a cat or dog!’ Merlin and Morgana laughed, watching the exchange, ‘She likes you that’s for sure, took two visits for her to warm up to Morgana enough for her to touch her, so consider yourself lucky.’ Merlin was still holding one of his hands, thumb rubbing lightly over his knuckles. ‘I think I do, sorry your highness, she likes me more.’ He grinned at Morgana, with no ounce of apology on his face while Morgana just chuckled, ‘She likes me enough for me to be content, but in all honesty she is Merlin’s baby. Loves Merlin to death doesn’t she Merlin?’ Merlin nodded, ‘Yeah you love me don’t you girl.’ Aithusa made the loudest chuffing noise of the night in response.

Silence fell across the group, relaxing against each other and Aithusa who soon fell asleep due to excitement of seeing her Dragon ‘Lord’, Gwaine still softly stroking her head and neck as much as he could reach at the angle. ‘What else did you want Kilgharrah, for I’m sure we all want to get back to our beds and if you have nothing else to say could we go please?’ The dragon looked at them a moment before speaking, ‘Are you planning on staying with the druids or will you move on?’ Merlin and Gwaine looked at each other, feeling rather than saying what the answer was, ‘I think we’ll stay for longer and see where it takes us. They have been very kind so far and helping them out will help us just as much.’ Gwaine said, carefully moving himself away from Aithusa to stand up, reaching down to help both Merlin and Morgana up, all without waking the sleeping dragon. ‘Well Merlin, if you should ever be in need of favour, do not doubt our help. Call whenever you may need help. That is all my enquiries for now, I shall let you return to the camp and to your beds.’

He then stood up to his full height, stretching his wings out flapping them slightly, the warming air fading gradually. Merlin turned back to Aithusa, crouching down to near her head and giving her a gentle scratch under the chin to rouse her from her sleep, ‘Dear girl, I must go now and you must go with Kilgharrah, I shall call on you soon enough my darling, don’t worry we shall see each other again soon.’ The young dragon chirped in sadness as she rose to her feet, head leaning into Merlin as though asking her to stay, making Merlin smile sadly. ‘I’m sorry darling, but I must go, I’m not leaving you alone and I’ll see you again soon.’ She moved away from her, walking back to Gwaine and Morgana, saying a quick goodbye to Kilgharrah who managed to get Aithusa to leave with him, however much she objected in noises, one last look at her kin before flying off. ‘Crazy dragons, never going to give me a break are they?’ in tandem Gwaine and Morgana spoke, ‘Nope, Probably not!’ as they made their way back to camp again. 

Merlin was happy that she didn’t have to see Iseldir until later in the morning, giving her time to catch up on sleep she’d missed while with the dragons. She was awoken briefly by Gwaine moving round the tent but soon fell back asleep again waking up a little before mid morning, thankfully Gwaine had left some time ago, so she could get ready with some peace, taking time to brush her hair and tie it up in a low bunch with a piece of thin leather, making sure it was tight enough to not come undone. She decided on wearing a dress today, something in her couldn’t be bothered with trousers, so she unpacked a blue dress and under-tunic from her bag, along with the belts for it. She wasn’t the most familiar with putting on dresses, seeing as Gwen had been in charge of dressing Morgana since before Merlin came to Camelot and even then she never wore dresses so she always struggled when she had to put one on, this time included. 

The under tunic was fine, being a one piece thing, but the blue dress itself had to be laced up at the front and Merlin didn’t know how to lace it up properly. She felt for the nearest female presence to her tent, pulling slightly on the connection and the girl who ended up at her tent was a young girl, a few years Merlin’s junior called Deanna, ‘Is everything alright Emrys?’ The girl was fair haired, quite short, but kind and a bit shy. ‘If it isn’t too much trouble, could I have some help with the lacings? And honestly you don’t have to call me Emrys, I’d much prefer Merlin!’ Deanna nodded a small smile on her face, ‘If that’s what you wish, then I shall call you Merlin. What type of lacing are they?’ She came further into the tent and over to Merlin who was half poked out from behind the dressing screen, in the under tunic, holding the dress in her hand. ‘They are front lacings, but I don’t know how to do them on my own, I rarely wear dresses you see.’ The girl nodded, helping Merlin slip the fabric over her head, minding her hair from getting caught and once it was on and sat correctly, she began teaching Merlin how to lace the dress. It took a couple of attempts before Merlin had the hang of it but it wasn’t as difficult as she had previously thought. ‘I’ll definitely have to get your help when I have a back lacing dress, I don’t think I’ll be able to do that very well.’ Deanna smiled, ‘Of course, it gives me something to do, even just for a few minutes or so. You see, most of my day is spent teaching the older children to read, I’m one of their teachers.’ 

Merlin grabbed her book, the sapphire and an apple from a bowl on the table and followed Deanna out the tent, ‘I think I’ve seen you teaching them before, the boys get quite fidgety don’t they.’ The two women laughed, ‘Yes the boys do get bored after a while, but in the morning and an hour after lunch they have to learn, it’s always been this way, the children get taught to read and write and once they can do that, then they are free of those lessons. Then they move to the magic classes, getting taught control, different spells etc. those are the ones the children want to do.’ Deanna accompanied her to Iseldir’s tent before heading off back to the children, a few of the girls running to greet her. 

‘Iseldir, I’m here.‘ She brushed the entrance to the tent to the side, and peeked in, looking for her teacher. ‘He’s waiting by the spring just past the camp with Morgana.’ Cerdan said from where he was sitting at the table. She gave her thanks and then hurried off, not wanting them to wait for too long for her. The spring was easy to find, that being where they collect their water for the camp and Merlin frequently helped once she was able. The sun was warming on her face as she arrived, Morgana and Iseldir engaged in conversation by the waters edge, ‘Sorry I’m late, went to your tent to find out you were here instead.’ She placed the book and sapphire on a large stone away from the water before joining them, ‘Yes, I decided that being outside would be more beneficial for witches of your calibres. Being in nature is your centering point to connect with magic and so it will be better for your performance. Let us begin.’

The girls split off, standing a good distance from each other with Iseldir stood off to the side in between them, first off they had to create four things using the elements, as they were simple spells to do. Morgana created the druid triskelion out of the elements and Merlin was going to do the same with hers, however when she performed the spells, although she was thinking of the triskelion, a phoenix was formed every time, burning brightly when created in the fire and moving around in the form, moving around Merlin, over her clothes and hair and nothing burning up. Iseldir and Morgana looked on in amazement at the image, having a mind of its own almost and lasting longer than any of the other versions.

‘Merlin, have you performed this spell before at any time’, Iseldir asked. Merlin nodded, she’d performed this spell when she first told Morgana of her magic. ‘It’s when I first told Morgana, it took this shape as well, but it was never this animated. Is it a bad thing?’ Iseldir shook his head, ‘No this isn’t a bad thing, you’re magic must remember this form it took and used it now. However, the fact that you were drawn to a phoenix in the first place is interesting’ Merlin furrowed her brow, ‘What’s so interesting? It’s just a bird right?’ Iseldir looked at her in a similar way to Gaius, ‘A phoenix is a bird of ancient magic, no one has seen one in 400 years Merlin. It is the symbol of the old religion, of the Triple Goddess, who you saw no less than a day ago and that you had used this exact image a few years ago instinctively shows a lot. Shows how the Goddess has been watching you and by your side, without you even knowing for a very long time.’

Merlin turned to look at the image, the phoenix moving gently around, its wings beating down and leaving a trail of fire. It moved towards her, gave her a look and then finally dissipated, extinguishing the fire it had been created in. ‘That was really cool I must say, I’ve never been able to make it that animated.’ Iseldir then had them perform a few more spells, gradually getting harder in creation, just to make sure that Merlin’s powers were really back to their full strength.

‘Iseldir, can I take a break please? I feel quite tired after that.’ Iseldir nodded and so Morgana was able to go and sit down on the stone with Merlin’s things, conjuring a goblet of water to sip. With all his attention on Merlin for a while now, Iseldir upped the stakes, making her create duplicates of him and Morgana, teleporting to the camp, grabbing one of his cloaks and back again and finally, came time for the sapphire and what to do with it.

‘I have an idea about what I want to do with it. I want to put it in something I can hold that will be secure, something like the staff you carry!’ Merlin said, taking hold of the sapphire. ‘It would make sense, something for you to channel power through if you should need the extra control.’ Iseldir agreed, ‘So it’s up to you to do this, the gift is yours, you should choose how to hold it.’ He moved away, letting her have some space, going to stand with Morgana to watch. Merlin breathed for a few seconds, closing her eyes and letting herself relax, holding the sapphire in a loose grip in her right hand. After a few minutes she felt her magic draw close to the surface, humming through her veins, guiding her towards something; raising her hand she pulled a little with her magic, feeling the tug of it before something made contact with her hand.

Opening her eyes, she was pleased to see a decently sized, large stick which was long enough for her to hold while it touched the ground and it was quite clean, stripped of its bark and down to the raw, light coloured wood underneath. She gave a quick pleased look to the others before returning her concentration to the staff. She focused for a minute, trying to figure out in her mind which spell would work the best for her in this instance and once she had the spell in her head she just had to vocalise it. ‘ **Bond. Be one that cannot be broken, strong and true. Bond to hold this magical gift of the Old Religion!** ’ Her eyes flashed a brilliant gold, the air around her shimmering slightly and a white light highlighted both the staff and the crystal in Merlin’s hands. It was a few moments before the lights died down and once they had, the two objects were fused together. The crystal now sat at the top of the staff, encased in strips of wood that had moved to accommodate the crystal wrapping themselves around it, holding it in place but still keeping it’s visibility. 

‘Well what do you think? Does it suit me?’ She turned to face Morgana and Iseldir, holding her new formed staff out and sticking a hand on her hip while striking a noble type pose. There was a grin on her face, which made Morgana chuckle, recognising the stance near instantly as one that Arthur frequently would pull. ‘Yes Merlin, it really does suit you. The colour of the crystal brings out the colour of your eyes!’ Merlin, smiled small, feeling modest to the compliment. ‘It may look good, but it will not be worth it, if it doesn't work in your favour. So perhaps you should test it out now.’ Iseldir said, motioning for her to carry on. Merlin thought of what spell she should test out, not wanting to do a simple spell, since she needed to test out its abilities to know it would work properly. Thinking over what Iseldir had said about the bandits getting too close last night at dinner, she thought of that and spoke, ‘ **We need to leave. Find me somewhere protected, somewhere sheltered with a water source and big enough for everyone.** ’ Her eyes flashed and the crystal sent out a blue shining light as a large image appeared before her, Morgana and Iseldir coming closer to take a look. In the image, there was what looked like the opening of a cave, the image moving inwards, through the cave showing the inside. It was hollowed out, larger than any cave they’d ever seen.

‘What did you ask for Merlin?’ Iseldir enquired, Merlin looked at him, before turning back to the image, ‘I just asked for somewhere we could go to, somewhere we’d be safe from strangers, bandits and somewhere that had a water source close by. It showed me this.’ The image moved again, showing deeper into the cave and to their amazement there was a channel of water running through the centre of it, from one side to the next. ‘This would be perfect Iseldir, we could all move there, the entire camp and we could all fit. There would be space for everything.’ Morgana said eagerly, tugging slightly on one of his tunic sleeves. ‘It would be perfect, but we cannot leave just like that, I’ll need to let everyone know and we would have to pack up everything. It would be easier if someone could go there first and decide if it really is good for the camp.’ Merlin spoke, ‘I could, with Gwaine, seeing as I found it, it makes sense for me to go. If we find that it won’t be suitable for us then we won’t go and I'll try to find somewhere else for us.’ 

With all the magic testing successful and completed, they returned to the camp, with Merlin going off to tell Gwaine what would be happening, while Iseldir called the camp together to explain everything. They wouldn’t be going for the next few days so Merlin and Gwaine had time to prepare themselves for the trip, not knowing how long it would take them to find this cave. Merlin also took this time to finally write to Gaius and Lancelot, explaining their situation and asking questions about Camelot. It was bitter sweet, she wanted to know how they were, but she felt awkward at the same time, not knowing how they’d react to her now that she was no longer accepted in Camelot. She told them about their run-in with the bandits, her injury, seeing Morgana and her encounter with the Triple Goddess and about the gift she’d received, putting as much detail in as she could. She used seven pages of parchment to tell them everything, adding on another single page, to say how she missed them and the other knights, even if they would all hate her now.

She finished the letters and had sealed them in wax, but at that moment realised she had no way of sending them to their recipients. She left her tent and went to find Cerdan for advice on what to do. She found him with Alice, mixing up a poultice and asked if he could spare her a few minutes to talk. They went and sat on one of the chair cut logs where she explained her issue to him, asking his opinion.

At most times, Cerdan always kept a small pouch with him, containing herbs, medicines and other things he may need but this time he took out four pennies and handed them to Merlin. ‘What are these for?’ Cerdan smiled, ‘These can be used for your friends to be able to contact you again, send you letters etc. Charm them and send them in the letters. All your friends will have to do is rub the coins and they’ll be able to send you things but for it to work effectively you need something to take and receive the letters. Like a bird. That’s what we do most of the time, if we are contacting family or friends from other camps and they aren’t near a town or a village. Iseldir and I use ravens but we’ve used other birds before. Find a bird you want to use and charm it with the coins. It will work both ways, if you all have coins, rub the coin, say the bird species and it will come. I hope this all helps.’ Merlin nodded, gratefully, ‘Yes it will help, thank you Cerdan. I’ll go and do that now, your help has been valuable.’ She stood up and went back to her tent to look in her spell book for spells for this kind of need. She went through half of the book before she found the spell she was looking for, it would link objects together for communication purposes. She hadn’t done a spell like this before so she revised the words for a while, but before she could perform the spell she needed to find a bird to connect it too. 

Taking a break from quite a long morning, she went to find Gwaine again, having left him with Nathaniel talking. The tension hadn’t gone away, it was still there, simmering away but Merlin knew that she had feelings for him, even if she wasn’t read to admit it and probably wouldn’t. She felt happy seeing him, had done since she’d first met him, thinking of him firstly as just a very good friend, but gradually as she spent time with him, his roguish ways began to stir something in her other than friendship. There was something between them, had been since she’d been banished, something that signified a change between them as people. She caught herself watching him when he wasn’t looking, every time making her blush and feel bad for looking at him but she still did. When she found them, they were cleaning out a boar Gwaine had caught earlier that morning, ‘Hey boys, do you need any help?’ Gwaine looked up, his signature smile on his face, ‘Yeah, Merls could you grab that bowl from the table and bring it here for the meat.’ She nodded, and brought the bowl over setting it on the floor beside Gwaine. He said his thanks and continued cutting away at the pig, trying to flesh it out as much as he could. She sat down on the ground and kept them company for a little while, talking and joking around as normal before deciding to go on a walk. 

She brushed some dirt and dust from the back of her dress and said goodbye as she went off, passing other druids on the way and saying hello. She wasn’t going to go far, she just needed to stretch her legs and she also needed to try and find a bird of some sorts, maybe even a couple which she could use for the spell. There were many birds that would be good enough to take small letters to and from Camelot, but if she ever needed to send or receive something larger, then a small bird wouldn’t work. Perhaps she’d use more than one bird, like Iseldir and Cerdan do sometimes. She walked aimlessly for a while, looking up into trees for a bird which would work, she didn’t take fancy to many of the birds she saw but as she came closer to a large section of river she spotted something moving in a bush and went to investigate.

She kept a lookout, just in case as she made her way over to the bush, pulling the leaves away and to her surprise, found a starling, caught in some brambles, the poor thing trying to pull itself free with no success. She took pity on the poor creature and set about carefully pulling the brambles away from its feet and wings, taking a gentle hold of the frightened bird, ‘Hey, hey, hey, calm down little guy, you’ll hurt yourself if you keep this up. I’m trying to help you, you silly creature.’ It eventually went still in her hand, exhausted from the struggling to get free for however long. Merlin cooed at the thing quietly to keep it calm so she could check over it for injuries. It looked fine, so giving it one last gentle stroke on its head, released it, the bird making its call in response to flying away. She watched it until it disappeared from view, thinking in her head, ‘That’s the bird I’ll use for taking letters. I just need to find one more’ before continuing to walk on.

She stopped a few times, to pick berries from bushes and eat them as she went. While she was out she also picked a few herbs for Alice to use, deciding to turn back once she got a little tired. She hadn’t seen any birds yet that were big enough to take anything bigger than a letter, which was making her frustrated however, when she had stopped near a stream, a shadow flew across the ground, making her look up. There was a buzzard, soaring right above her, above the trees, watching something. It suddenly descended before coming up again at a speed. In its talons, Merlin noticed, was a very unlucky rabbit and quite a large one at that, giving Merlin her second bird of choice. She smiled in success and made her way back to camp, going straight to her and Gwaine’s tent to finally complete her letters after dropping the herbs to Alice. She attached a separate piece of parchment to her completed letters, using wax to secure it to the side, containing how to use the coins which she would also wax to the paper once spelled. 

Since she now had the birds she was going to link , she set the four coins on the table, close together but not touching and looking at the spell book, held a hand over the coins. ‘ **Let me connect with those I love, with a starling or buzzard but don't expose yourself to those who shouldn't know.** ’ Her eyes glowed as the coins flashed blue for a second before returning to normal. To test them out, she took up her coin and with her thumb rubbed three circles over it, watching it shimmer slightly, ‘Starling.’ The shimmering stopped and so she waited for a few minutes almost giving up with a sigh, when through the tent entrance flew a starling, coming to rest itself on the back of one of the chairs. Merlin smiled in glee, pleased that the spell was working so far, waxing two of the coins onto the letters securely so they wouldn’t fall off and tied the two letters to the starling back with a piece of thread, tight enough not to fall but not to hurt the bird. ‘Take this to Gaius in Camelot.’ She said to the bird, her thumb over the coin. The starling looked for a few seconds before seemingly nodding its head and taking off back into the air, out of the tent and away.

‘Let’s hope this works.’ She muttered to herself as she went about putting spare parchment and wax away before going outside and looking through the air in the direction of Camelot, seeing the small, disappearing outline of the starling. ‘Please let it work.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the wait. It's taking longer than I thought to write these chapters each week.  
> x


	6. This is our home...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new home, a new place to settle down for Merlin, Gwaine, Morgana and the druids. Taking time to fix the place and make it liveable for the druids, not all is right between Merlin and her roguish Knight...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: NON-EXPLICIT TALK OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AND ATTEMPTED SEXUAL ASSAULT. 
> 
> If you wish to skip that section I will include a line break before and after as indication.

‘Merlin?’ she hummed her acknowledgement, ‘Do you have any clue where we are going to find this place?’ Gwaine asked as he sorted his clothing into his travel pack. ‘Not a clue, but that’s the adventure isn’t it. That’s how we got here in the first place, neither of us were sure of where we were going.’ She turned to grin at him from where she was also sorting out her travel pack. ‘Yeah but think about what happened for us to get here, hmm.’ He glanced down at her side briefly, eyes returning to look at her face. ‘Yes there were some setbacks but we’re here and we owe them for all their help and guidance given to us. So we should find somewhere that’s safe for them and for us to live.’ She finished securing her pack and sat on her bed, flicking a stray piece of hair from her face, as she watched Gwaine. It had been about four days since talks of finding this cave system and her and Gwaine were just about to set off to find it. All Merlin knew about this cave system was that it wasn’t too far away, having sent her magic to find it beforehand and she was able to figure out what sort of distance it was going to be. It would take half a day to get to the area she felt it in, but to actually find it, that would be the task.

Merlin was looking forward to leaving the camp for a couple of days, she’d be able to do something useful and help her friends. It also meant that their horses could get some exercise that was longer than a short ride around the forest and back again. It would be a long trek across a good distance of land. The horses hadn’t been ridden properly since Merlin got injured, only being briefly ridden so that they didn’t become unhealthy. Gwaine had saddled the horses after breakfast, making sure they were fed and watered before they left. The horses seemed very excited to be going too, moving around in their makeshift stable, making loud noises as though signalling to Gwaine and Merlin to hurry up and let them out. Morgana had wanted to accompany them but she had some commitments teaching some of the children so she couldn’t come but even though Merlin liked having her friend around, she was secretly pleased that it was just her and Gwaine. They said goodbye to Iseldir, Cerdan and Alice before leaving since they’d said goodbye to Nathaniel and Morgana at breakfast, heading out the camp with the promise of finding the caves as quickly as they could. 

‘Why don’t you tie it to your back if it’s annoying to carry? That would mean it’s out the way and your hands will both be free to use.’ Gwaine suggested 45 minutes into the journey after Merlin had begun complaining about carrying the staff in her hand and how it was getting in the way. He reached behind him into one of his bags and pulled out a long piece of rope after a few minutes of rustling around, handing it over to her. ‘You can use this to tie it up.’ She thanked him, slowing Tempest into a slow walk and working on tying the pieces of string onto each end of the staff before slinging it over her back and taking up the reins again, now that she had both hands free. The journey was running smooth, they had made good distance from the camp, still being extra careful on the lookout for bandits or strangers, not wanting to get surprised again. 

The journey to the found area was good, they made good time ahead of what they expected to do, managing to get to the area before midsun. Knowing that they were in the right area, they were able to stop for some lunch, eating apples, cheese and some biscuits to save their good food for the next day or more, depending on how long they would spend there- if it was there. Once she’d eaten her share, Merlin took up her staff and repeated the locating spell, the crystal shining blue as her eyes glistened gold. A path of golden sparkles appeared close to the ground, leading off into some very thick, dense trees and foliage. ’If that’s going in the right direction, we won’t be able to ride the horses, the branches are all too low.’ She told Gwaine as he finished munching on his last biscuit, ‘Yeah, I don’t fancy being knocked off of Max today, to be honest.’ With that they set off again, following the trail.

The branches were really low, Gwaine having knocked his head one to many times in the last quarter of an hour they walked. Merlin’s hair got caught in overhanging branches and brambles which pulled her once neat tied hair out of it’s bindings, making her look as though she’d been attacked by something or was a madwoman. She’d pouted when Gwaine began teasing her, only to burst into a smiling laugh when he once again walked into a low hanging branch; there was definitely going to be a bruise there once they made it through. The horses weren’t doing much better, hitting their heads a few times and wanting to bolt but having to keep going, even as sticks and brambles lashed at their ankles and flies bothered their eyes.

The trail of lights led them to a river, the thick foliage opening out a little bit more, making it comfortable to move for both horses and them. ‘Come on, let’s keep moving, the lights are heading that way.’ Gwaine said, moving to follow the river as Merlin looked around, something in her feeling as though this was it, they were where they needed to be. ‘Wait a moment. I think it’s here, it’s here but it’s hidden, really hidden.’ Gwaine turned back and came to a stop beside her, ‘But the trail is leading us to follow the river’ Merlin nodded in agreement, ‘Yes it may be, but it could be leading us to the other side of the river but in this spot. I swear it, Gwaine… I can feel it.’ She focused her eyes on the other side of the river bank, looking for anything that could signify an opening of some kind. She grabbed her staff from where she’d tied it to Tempest’s saddle and came to stand by the river bank. She held the staff out from her body about arms length and spoke out, ‘ **I feel you, reveal yourself to me.’**

There was a rumbling of earth, tree roots and rocks as across the river, everything moved before their eyes, the light trial Merlin had conjured also changed direction to across the river, moving through the earth as it was moving, further into the thicket until they could no longer see where it was leading. Merlin turned to Gwaine with a raised eyebrow and a grin as though saying, ‘I told you so.’ To which he just rolled his eyes, ‘Fine you were right, but in case you hadn’t noticed this is a large, wide, deep portion of the river, so how are we supposed to get across hmm? Did you think of that?’ It was Merlin’s turn to roll her eyes slightly looking back at the river and spoke again, eyes molten gold, ‘ **A bridge, make a bridge for safe passage across the river. Something durable and long lasting.’** The Earth listened to her, tree roots and vines twisting themselves from both sides of the river to intertwine and connect in the middle of the water, creating a structure, solid and strong, decorating itself in small blooms of flowers and young green vines.

Gwaine looked on in awe, ‘Wow. You’re definitely getting stronger! Are you sure it will be safe?’ Merlin nodded, ‘Yes, I made sure that it would be durable for use. Meaning it should support us and the horses, if they are comfortable to walk over it, horses don’t usually like bridges so it will be a test.’ They climbed back onto the horses and seeing as Merlin could most likely save herself should anything happen, she went first with Tempest. It took some coaxing to get the horse to go over the bridge but once she was on it, Tempest was fine; she seemed to do better on that than most of the man made bridges they’d encountered over the years. Max was also fine once he saw his fellow horse had gone over it and was less effort than Tempest had been. They continued following the light trail after they both were across and this side of the river seemed less dense, so they didn’t have to walk, leading the horses, they could stay in saddle.

They weren’t sure how much longer they rode for, the sun was in the centre of the sky so it was most likely mid day but they hadn’t been in the saddle for longer than 10 minutes. They ended up in a very small clearing but couldn’t go any further as the light trail had disappeared, much to their annoyance, as there was no clear indicator of an opening or cave anywhere. Gwaine climbed off of Max and loosely tied him to a tree to have a look round, while Merlin did the same with Tempest. ‘It should be here, there’s no reason it shouldn’t be. My spell was correct, there’s no doubt about that, it’s a simple locator spell.’ She was frustrated, Gwaine could tell, ‘I’m sure it has nothing to do with you Merlin, it just may need some manual looking at this point and... Merlin...I think I’ve found it!’ Merlin quickly went over to where Gwaine was standing before a wall of vinery. ‘Where?’ He motioned to the wall, so Merlin looked closer, at that moment noticing how they were hiding something. Pushing aside some of the vines and plants, there was an opening, a large opening but very sheltered and covered. If Gwaine hadn’t been looking closely, she doubted that either of them would have found it. ‘Wow, ok -well we found it. You found it. Well done.’ Merlin began talking very fast and quite repetitive which had Gwaine rolling his eyes for another time that day, ‘Merlin, as much as I’d like to just stand here listening to you ramble, shouldn’t we go take a look?’ He pushed her forward gently, for her to get a move on, she did first go to grab her staff and double check that the horses would be fine before coming back and beginning to carefully climb through the hole. 

There was no light, so feeling around with her magic ensured she wasn’t going to fall and hurt herself or Gwaine. Luckily there was only a very small distance to the floor so she beckoned Gwaine in after her. Since trying to work their way around this cave in the pitch black wasn’t an option for them, Merlin conjured two orbs of light, however this time she made them twice as large illuminating a very large portion of their surroundings. At first they seemed to be in a longish passageway, cave walls surrounding them with a dark opening at the end. ‘Well if I die… it’s your fault Merlin.’ Gwaine chuckled, as Merlin hit him with the staff, ‘I’m joking Merls, you know I am.’ They made their way to the end of the passage and through the opening; instantly it opened up into this massive chamber. There was only so much they could see for now, since the light orbs were only a little bit bigger than normal, so thinking about what she wanted them to do, her eyes flashed, the staff flushed blue and the light orbs moved over to joining together, creating a much, much larger light. This joining meant that they could see much further than before. The light orb moved away from them at that point, choosing to stop away from them and higher up to show the full dimensions of the cave.

It was enormous, and now they were able to recognise the sound of running water as they could see the river flowing through the centre of the cave. Still the cave just seemed too dark for full inspection, so under her breath she said, ‘ **Duplicate by six for us to see.’** the light orb then shifted, splitting into 6 large orbs and moving to different areas of the cave, showing them every metre of the place. ‘It would be perfect, wouldn’t it! Don’t you think?’ She turned to Gwaine standing behind her, looking around as he nodded, ‘Yes it would be perfect for everyone. How many of us will there be?’ Merlin called on Iseldir in her mind asking him how many of them there were. He replied within a few seconds, meaning Merlin could tell Gwaine and analyse the space properly. ‘Iseldir says that there are 130 of them plus me and you, so 132 people in total. I think we can all fit in here. It will just need some landscaping, for paths and houses into the rock. There are layers in the rock which will work for individual houses for everyone. We could enlarge the spaces if we needed to as well.’

Gwaine nodded, ‘But to properly see the space, we need to go down there but I don’t know if you noticed Merlin but, we are kind of up 20 ft from the ground currently with no way to get down.’ Merlin looked down, finally noticing how high up they were, before holding her hand out to Gwaine, ‘Hold my hand.’ He looked at her in confusion, making her roll her eyes and grab a hold of his hand as a rush of very strong wind picked them up and moved them down to the bottom of the cave, setting them down softly. Gwaine stumbled a few steps then looked at Merlin with exasperation, ‘Please Merlin, for all things Holy, please never do something like that without warning me first, ok’ Merlin grinned at him, ‘You big baby but I promise.’ 

Now that they were at base level, it was even clearer to see how the space could be structured to fit everyone’s basic needs to live there. It was definitely big enough to have homes for all the druids, each family to live in as well as spaces where community spaces could be put. Areas for teaching the children, a physician's quarters for Alice, a kitchen could be created, a dining area, stables for animals etc. The river running through the middle made a perfect feature for separating the different areas of the camp, it would also provide water, and it would be a source of food too, since they could introduce fish into it for eating if there weren’t already. ‘It really is perfect isn’t it.’ Gwaine said, looking round the space. Merlin nodded, feeling around the cave with her magic, making sure that there weren’t any signs of creatures benign there or any people, but she was confident that there was nothing in the cave and could begin to work on the space to make it suitable for use.

First things first was light, they wouldn’t be able to just use the orbs all the time, it wasn’t convenient. Merlin went and stood near the side of the river and held out the staff, her voice echoing round the space as she spoke, **‘Give me natural light, give me a way for the sun to shine in our home as though outside.’** The staff’s blue glow was near blinding in the darker areas of the cave, Gwaine having to cover his eyes until the flash dulled out again. The light from the orbs was changed then, dying out and being replaced by full light, as though they were still outside with the sun on their faces. ‘Good work Merls, that’s handy.’ Gwaine followed her over to the river edge, ‘So what are we going to do to try and get it ready for the camp to finally come here?’ He still felt amazed at what she could do with her magic. ‘Figure out family sized home spaces, spaces for community spaces, things like that. I’ll check with Iseldir how many family groups we have and make homes according to that, anything else will be single sleeping spaces which could be made into something bigger in the future if needed.’ Gwaine nodded before talking, ‘First things first though, we’d better do something about the horses and our supplies, I don’t want to leave them out there the whole time. Just in case.’

Merlin agreed so they made their way back to the where they’d first come into the cave, ‘This will need to be accessible for everyone and all our supplies from the camp so before anything I’d better do something about this hadn’t I? **Form into stairs and a ramp for any uses, be safe and sturdy.’** A flash of gold later, nothing seemed to have changed, causing her to frown, unsure of why nothing had happened. Taking a step forward she went to inspect it when the rocks suddenly began changing, shifting into formation, slowly becoming a set of stairs, making a large crack as they settled into the position. Merlin looked back at Gwaine who was watching in awe, ‘You never fail to amaze me Merlin you know that right?’ He smiled, making her flush red before stepping forward and with a bit of faith, began to walk up the steps, arms held out slightly just in case anything should happen. Once at the top he turned back to Merlin standing at the bottom and gave a head tilt, ‘Well I didn’t die, so we should be all good right?’ Merlin laughed out loud, taking her turn to walk the stairs and once they were both at the top, the rocks shifted once again back into their original formation as though nothing had ever happened.

Back down the tunnel, Merlin also had to spell the opening so that it was large enough for animals and people to go through comfortably. It was nice going from natural light into natural light, neither of them having to get used to the difference since it was the same inside the cave. The horses had taken it pretty well, being led into the cave, not making much fuss but that was most likely due to the same light they were used to being in. The changing entrance became a ramp when they brought the horses to it, spooking them a tiny bit but not enough to make a fuss about it. The echo of their hooves and the sounds they made was very loud in the space, louder than Merlin and Gwaine’s speaking voices had been so she also charmed to cave to no longer echo, dramatically reducing noise although the river could still be heard quite loud but that was to be expected as it was a river. They led the horses to a flat area of the cave, letting them get used to the environment by giving them food and Merlin created some grass for them to graze and lay on to keep them calm while all the changes were happening.

Gwaine made her eat something before she did anything so she scarfed down a couple of pieces of bread, cheese and meat before setting about creating the perfect living space for the druids and them. Iseldir had told her that at the moment there were only 20 families in the group, the rest of the druids being either single adults or elderly couples with no children, so Merlin created 20 larger spaces on the left hand side of the cave for the families to live in, including a bath and toilet each- thank you Morgana for that idea. The homes were stacked on top of each other in the wall of the cave, with small walkways between each house and a path leading down to the cave floor, creating a three layered home section. Next she turned to creating the single and double houses towards the back of the cave in the same style as the family homes. She had to take a short break to have some water and more food before going back to work while Gwaine watched her and gave suggestions for positioning. 

It took Merlin a few hours to create each area of the cave to fit the camp’s needs, a space to keep supplies, which was cool enough to store food, was added near the kitchen area. An enclosure for livestock was on the right side of the river near the back as well, far from the housing pods as well as a few stables for horses and the camp ponies. Then she had constructed a classroom for the children and a dining space near the kitchen as well as a space for Alice to use for both her living space with a connecting space for her medicines and healing. Iseldir and Cerdan had also been given their own space together on the right side of the river, separate to everything else, being the leaders of the camp. There was a similar separate space on the left hand side, larger than the single homes but smaller than the family homes which Merlin intended to use herself, having made it with herself in mind, which brought Merlin back to something she’d have to ask Gwaine later on. She had had to create a couple of small bridges over the river connecting the different areas as well as connecting to a completely separated section of cave wall which had guest rooms built into them, this specific section of the cave had the river surrounding it, splitting off into a pool of some kinds which could be used by the children for play. Since so much work had been done that day, the final corrections would be made the next day and Iseldir would be informed that it was ready. They would then go back and help coordinate the move and once everyone was finally settled into the new camp, anything that Iseldir thought could be changed would then be altered. 

‘Where should we stay tonight? We have all the options of the place.’ Gwaine grinned, arms spread wide gesturing around the cave. She smiled at him, feeling strange at the comment, they had been sleeping in the same tent for more than a month now because it was needed, but now, being here, there wasn’t any need for it as they’d both have their own space at last. To save herself from the conversation just then she made a decision, ‘How about we just sleep here tonight? It will be fun, like we’re out in the open again?’ Gwaine agreed so they set up their bed rolls out on a flat section of the cave floor and Merlin conjured a fire which would last the night. Gwaine had gone out some time before and caught a couple of pigeons to cook so they had something good to eat for the night and next morning. Even with all the space, they sat beside each other, their bedrolls almost touching, recounting stories each of them knew or had experienced.

The natural light inside the cave dimmed into night just as outside did, making it seem as though they weren’t in a cave at all. There were even stars on the ceiling of the cave, giving the appearance of night with a small magic moon in place too with the stars. ‘This is going to be good for us, this place, isn’t it. You have somewhere where you won’t be persecuted, where no one will find you or hurt you. It will be good for me too. Somewhere to stick around and help people for however long I’m needed.’ Gwaine said, lying down on his bedroll, arms under his head looking at the stars. Merlin hmm’d in agreement, ‘Yes it will be good for me, for you and we’ll finally have our own spaces again won’t we?’ She said trying to make light of it, yet noticing how Gwaine didn’t smile, and didn't react as she thought he would. ‘Yeah… our own space. Great… Goodnight Merlin, sleep well.’ He rolled away from her, pulling his blanket up to his chest as she sat there looking at him, feeling distressed for some reason. ‘Yeah, goodnight Gwaine.’ Trying to keep her voice from shaking, she also lied down, feeling shaken and bothered, turning her head to look at his form ever so often.

That night couldn’t have gone any slower, all Merlin could do was lie awake thinking over what Gwaine had said and how bothered his voice had sounded, then after dawn broke and they got up, they barely spoke to each other, Gwaine went off to wash as did Merlin, using her chosen home pod and putting some of her belongings in it while Gwaine went to one of the furthest single pods at the back of the cave. Then even once she was done, he didn’t come out again for ages, he looked tired and his eyes seemed red but he didn’t say anything when she asked about it. It was awkward so Merlin decided to do some final spells before they went back to camp to help with the move, the first thing she did was put a spell to discourage any creatures from coming into the cave, she also put different types of edible fish into the river and created different flowers and plants to grow from nooks and cracks in some of the cave walls just for some decoration. Gwaine had been sorting out the horses, brushing them, saddling them up to go back and once done with that, began cleaning and sharpening his knives and his sword. She could feel his eyes on her ever so often but he never said anything even though she hoped he would. Not talking to each other hurt since she was so used to speaking with him multiple times of the day and he always had something to say but now it was like they were strangers again and she hated it. 

When they left the cave and began travelling back to the bridge Merlin would stop ever so often and with a quick whisper, touch the end of her staff to large set trees before moving on, when Gwaine asked about it as they got to other side of the bridge Merlin explained, ‘To anyone who isn’t aware of it, the trees will look like there is nothing on them but to those who know there will be a druid triskelion, which will shine blue when the person is looking for it. Now that you know what I have done, you will be able to see them.’ To see if she was right, she did the spell on one of the legs of the bridge, on one of the thicker roots connected to the ground, ‘Look, you should be able to see it now.’ Gwaine did look, seeing the bright glow of a blue triskelion. ‘It’s so that we will always be able to find our way back here if we need to leave, seeing as it isn’t the easiest place to find. As we found out coming here.’ Gwaine nodded before nudging Max forward, leaving Merlin to catch up. Merlin carried on doing the spell to trees until they were back in a part of the forest which they recognised, arriving back at the camp quicker than when they left. It looked far different to when they’d left the day before, the various tents were packed away, the space bare from all personal effects from the various druids. Their ponies and a couple of their horses were saddled and carrying supply and few of the younger children, too young to walk that distance. Iseldir and Cerdan were going to and fro, clearing things and directing others where to put things while Morgana and Nathaniel were helping wrangle the children along with some of the mothers of the group.

Morgana spotted them first and headed over, hugging each of them tightly when they’d climbed down off of the horses. ‘Finally back, we should be ready in just a short while. You won’t have to wait long.’ Merlin smiled tucking a strand of Morgana’s hair behind her head, ‘That’s good. I don’t think we mind if it takes a little longer, we’ve been on the horses long enough.’ She watched with some sadness as Gwaine walked away from them and over to Nathaniel and another druid man called Cade he’d made friends with. ‘Is something wrong Merlin? You both look fairly agitated.’ A soothing touch was pressed against her elbow as Morgana steadily led Merlin over to Iseldir. ‘I don’t know, we were fine until dark when I said about our spaces at the cave. Our separate spaces.’ Morgana looked at her in bewilderment, ‘You said what? Merlin, I love you, but you are an idiot!’ Merlin stared at her gaping as Morgana carried on talking, clutching onto her arms, ‘Can’t you see, can you seriously not see what is wrong?’ Merlin shook her head, ‘Merlin...Goddess, he likes you, he wants to be with you and you’ve just given yourself a way of separating yourself from him. To him it must feel like you’ve told him you don’t want to be anything more than friends! That you see him as no more than a friend! He likes you so much, it’s as clear as day Merlin, you just need to see it yourself.’ Merlin was in complete shock, yes she liked Gwaine, probably more than like but she didn’t think that he felt the same way about her; while there had been a tension between them, she’d just thought that it was them getting used to being around each other in a single space and being around each other all the time.

Now she felt happy that he liked her but she was also upset as she’d seemingly destroyed any chance of them happening. ‘I had no idea…’ Morgana rolled her eyes, pulling Merlin along with her towards Iseldir, ‘Yes, well now you have no time to worry about it, we have to move soon and you will need to lead us to our new home since none of us apart from you and the roguish Sir Knight, knows where we’re going. Now come and talk to Iseldir.’ 

They hadn’t talked for long, Iseldir wanted to get moving as soon as possible to reach the cave before nightfall so living spaces could be sorted out between the different families. Iseldir and Cerdan gave one last blessing on their old camp ground and after that the druids began to leave, Merlin guiding them in front on Tempest with Iseldir on his horse, Nathaniel and Morgana in the middle of the group on their horses and Gwaine at the back with Cerdan to keep everyone together so that there were no stragglers. Merlin talked with Iseldir most of the journey, telling him of all the improvements and changes that had been made to the cave but her mind was preoccupied with the man currently at the back of the group. She couldn’t stop thinking of him, making her miss a few of the druid chief’s questions which she felt embarrassed over missing. The journey had been longer with so many people travelling at once, it was safe despite that, Morgana having put a glamouring spell over the group so that from the outside looking in, it would look like no one was there.

The children got bored of the journey very quickly and the rest of the druids were tired of walking, especially for a few of the women who were with child who hadn’t been able to find a pony or the cart to sit on. Merlin also informed Iseldir of the triskelion and it’s meaning, the message being passed back through the group so that the whole camp knew what to look for and it became a game for the children and the younger teenagers of the group who took it among themselves to go ahead and try and find the symbol as they got closer to the first one on the trail.

‘This will be good for the children, they will be able to play outside with no worry that anyone will see them, as long as they stay within the cave side of the bridge and the clearing, no one should be able to see them or us.’ Iseldir nodded, ‘That will be good, the children and the teenagers can get very bored and like exploring but usually they couldn’t do it without an adult accompanying them. Being here however will ensure that they are safe even when exploring.’ One of the young girls of the group called out excitedly from where her and the other children were, ‘I FOUND IT! I FOUND IT!’ causing the group to laugh, ‘Well done. Wait for us to catch up before you go any further ok.’ Merlin replied, laughing at the children excitedly bobbing up and down as they waited for all the adults to reach them before scampering off again, pointing at trees with the symbol on. It was fun watching the children, they were so carefree and happy with something as simple as finding a symbol on a tree and it gave Merlin something else to focus on instead of what she had been. 

A couple of hours passed and the travelling druids had finally made it to the bridge and it was at this point where Merlin stayed behind as everyone carried on, calling Morgana to stay behind as well. If Iseldir just followed the symbols, he’d find the clearing quite easily. Gwaine did briefly glance Merlin’s direction when he passed with Cerdan but other than that, said nothing, leaving Merlin dejected but she had something important to do. ‘What did you need me to do Merlin?’ Morgana asked, leading her beautiful white horse, Athena to stand beside Merlin and Tempest. ‘I haven’t put a protection spell on the bridge yet, I know I need to but I thought that instead of doing just the bridge, why not glamour the entire area so we remain nearly invisible and I thought you could help me with that.’ Morgana nodded, pleased to be of some help and moved Athena so that they would have some distance between them when they performed the spell. What Merlin thought would be difficult to do with the two of them, was far easier than she thought. Instead of having to think about a spell and tell it to the other, it was as though their thoughts were connected and they both knew which spell to use, saying it at exactly the same time. **‘To the outside world, this place doesn’t exist. There is nothing here, just a running river and empty land that is not reachable. Glamour and remain to all apart from those who know of this place.’** Two sets of brilliant golden eyes flashed as the spell was said and Merlin’s staff glowed blue as always as a shimmering effect appeared around the bridge and down from the river in both directions.

Morgana went over the bridge and before Merlin's eyes, the air rippled before Morgana could no longer be seen. Happy with what they’d achieved and the test was complete, Merlin was again able to see Morgana across the bridge, even with the glamour still intact, since she could feel it as she crossed the bridge. Everyone was waiting in the clearing when Morgana and her eventually caught up, both women climbing from their horses to join everyone on the ground. Moving through the group of druids, she came to a stop near Iseldir and Cerdan who were standing closest to the entrance even though they couldn’t see it. Just as Gwaine and her had left that morning Merlin put a silent spell on the entrance which meant that the same triskelion but much larger, would appear if the magic enforcing it recognised the person coming into the clearing, but if it didn’t recognise anyone it wouldn’t show and would remain closed, a safety feature just in case there were any unwanted visitors at any time during the future. It glowed when Merlin came close but didn’t open just yet. She turned to Iseldir and explained what the charm was and what they’d have to do to be recognised, for the spell to be effective, each member of the camp, both young and old would have to push forth a strand of magic to touch the triskelion so that they would be recognised, in Gwaine’s case however, it was his touch, placing a hand on the stone to be admitted. Merlin had in mind to make that easier in the future, find a different way to work with Gwaine or any other non magic people.

Each druid performed their part for the spell and after that it glowed continually, opening up as Gwaine led everyone inside. Hearing all the children sound so excited made Merlin happy, hearing their amazement when they arrived at the main cave entrance. A ramp had been formed from the stone, allowing multiple people to go down at once as well as the big single cart they had brought with them and the ponies and horses could be led down. There were marvels at how light it was inside, and at how big the space actually was compared to what they thought it would be. Merlin told Cerdan as the last of the druids came inside, ‘There will even be space in the future to make it bigger if we needed it to be. I made sure of it.’ He put a hand around her shoulder in a half hug, ‘You have done well Emrys, you have provided more than we deserve but it will be the best thing for us long term. I am grateful and so is Iseldir, so thank you.’ Merlin blushed, not used to the praise and hugged him back before they joined everyone down at the bottom of the cave. From there, the first thing that was done was unsaddling the horses and ponies and putting them in their stables to rest after their efforts. The sheep and couple of goats they owned were made at home in the livestock enclosure and an enclosed chicken coop and duck enclosure with a small pond were created close by for those. 

Afterwards, all that was left to do was find a space and unpack their belongings, even if it wasn’t much, although being magic, if they did need anything they could always conjure it if they needed to. The families were allowed to choose first, with the largest families getting the largest homes and so on. The singles and couples found it easier to choose a space, moving in quickly. The cave grew quite after that, since each home unit was also sound proof for extra privacy so there wasn’t much to do, Merlin took the time to show the two leaders, Morgana, Nathaniel and Alice around, while Gwaine took his leave to his space, much to her dejection. She showed Alice her home and work space and then showed Iseldir and Cerdan their home. Lastly she showed Nathaniel and Morgana the homes she’d set up for both of them, they were next to each other since that was how their tents at the camp had been like and left them to unpack and wash up. 

Since everyone was sorting themselves out, Merlin took the time to go back to her house, she hadn’t really unpacked earlier that morning, only putting a couple of things on the bed so that anyone looking in would know it was chosen. Her house was mostly bare, a small table with a couple of chairs, a single bed tucked in one of the corners with a bedside table on one side and a large comfortable looking chair. There was a good sized wardrobe and chest of drawers as well and then there was an opening which led to the bathroom like all the houses had. It was nice having her own space, but as she unpacked all her clothes and hung them up, she couldn’t help but think it was too empty; there were no boots thrown on the floor, no jackets flung over a chair, no swords or knives thrown onto the table, no extra bed… no Gwaine. She sank down onto her bed, feeling utterly distressed, clutching in her hands ironically an old tunic Gwaine had given her as it no longer fit. She let the tears fall as she held the garment close to her chest, ‘Goddess, what have I done… Why do I feel so wrong? Isn’t he just a friend, a person I can rely on? When did it change, when did I see him as more than a friend?’ She cried to herself, thankful for the soundproofing on the place. She thought back at all her times with Gwaine, joking around on patrols around Camelot, sharing Gwaine’s _silly_ stories around campfires, just talking together; it was at that time that a moment came to her, one which had stuck in her mind ever since it had happened, the one where he had given her the shirt.

_It had been a long few days, the then Prince Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table as well as a small group of other knights and Merlin had been tasked with seeing to a village being terrorised by rogue knights near Camelot’s border. Arthur was tasked with setting things right or disgracing the knights and having them replaced. The travel there hadn’t been very bad, although the Prince was in an irritated mood at the idea of some of his knights behaving in a less than decent way to his people and had been snappy almost the whole time, taking it out mostly on Merlin. ‘Merlin hurry up you idiot, stop wasting time!’ and ‘Merlin, fix my tent then go and get firewood and be quick about it. Haven’t got all day you know!’ Overall he’d been pretty horrible, but the Knights served in keeping Arthur preoccupied in conversation about how the task was going to play out, which Merlin had been very grateful for, silently thanking each one of them. Once they arrived at the village, the rogue knights attempted to play nice and kind with the villagers, pretending to be caring for them and while the Prince and his Knights of the Round Table weren’t sure, it turned out pretty soon that they were as bad as the villagers had said, maybe even worse._

_Merlin had gone to draw water from the village well to begin making some food for Arthur, the knights and the widow who was hosting them. She had just finished getting the water when she heard some commotion behind one of the barns close by, there were a couple of voices, one sounded gruff and harsh-that of a man, while the other sounded scared, young and female. In that moment Merlin felt an anger move through her, dropping the full bucket of water on the floor in her haste to find out what was happening. Moving swiftly she rounded the side of a barn to find one of the suspicious Knights pressed up close to a wall seemingly, but as Merlin took in the scene she could see his hands were all over a young, panicked looking woman, barely older than 16 summers in age. ‘What do you think you are doing? Release her at once!’ In her anger she’d stormed closer to them, surprising the man briefly before he turned his attention on Merlin, looking over her frame with perverted, lustful eyes, ‘My my, what a pretty creature we have here, hmm’ He released the girl who immediately ran off, tears streaking her face, ‘Let me guess… the Princes whore, his bed warmer on cold, lonely nights? The Knights slut and share piece? I wonder how often they get their hands on you huh!’ He leered at her, crowding closer and closer until Merlin was against the wall, backed up completely with no way of removing herself from him._

_Dread filled her stomach as he got as physically close to her as he’d been with the young woman, one of his hands coming to roughly grip onto her side while the other caught her hair in a tight grip, yanking her head back against the wall. She pushed at him as hard as she could, but the man wouldn’t budge an inch, his towering frame rivalling that of Percival’s in stature. His hands wandered even more, leaving her hair and coming round her throat, as she tried to call for help of some kind and her eyes misted over, while the other turned more intimate and perverted, coming to touch her in places which made her freeze in alarm, knowing that even if she wanted to, she couldn’t do any magic to protect herself without being caught. His hands were insistent and her tears had turned into full sobbing, even as she still attempted to keep him away from her body. Though after minutes of struggling, finally resigning herself to the assault, justifying it in her head, rather it being her than that young girl. The man had begun to pull at her skirts, pulling them up and forcing the neck of her shirt to split open, exposing her chest- how ironic that this was one of the only days she chose to wear a tunic and skirt, when enraged shouts came from around the corner. A force had barrelled into the man, pushing him off of Merlin yet also pushing her to the floor. Through bleary eyes she saw_ her _knights surrounding the man, their faces thunderous with all consuming rage, Arthur stood before the vile man as he was forced upright on his knees, hands behind his back by Sir Leon and Sir Percival while Sir Elyan and Sir Lancelot held their swords to his throat. She was sobbing, hiccups pulling her breath from her, her body curling in on itself, trying to pull her tunic back across her chest with shaking hands._

_She struck out when a hand rested on her shoulder, crying even louder before her eyes filled with tears locked onto the person crouching beside her. Her friend, her best friend, her Gwaine, looked at her face, worry and tenderness written all over his. He didn’t look at her body, solely focused on her face as he unwrapped his cloak from around his shoulders and wrapped it around her, securing it behind her back before lifting her up, hugging her close to his chest as he walked swiftly away from the other knights and the disgusting creature. He carried her to the house of a mother and her two daughters, the father Benjamin staying outside respectfully as Gwaine placed her on one of the girls beds, leaving her with a quick kiss to her forehead, and a few reassuring words that he’d be just outside, and that she was safe and that the bastard couldn’t ever hurt her again. Letting go of his hand had been tough but replaced by the tenderness of a mother soon soothed her. She remained there for the rest of the day, being soothed by Esther the mother and her daughters, a similar age to Merlin at that time, called Olivia and Catherine. Sadly none of the tunics they owned would fit Merlin due to her chest being larger than any of theirs, so Esther went outside and over to a worried P_ _rince and his equally worried knights asking whether or not any of them had a tunic she could use, apologising for the inappropriate nature of her request._

_The knights had apologised that none of them had tunics which would fit Merlin well, seeing how much bigger they were than her, especially Percival- he dwarfed her at the best of times. It was only as Esther turned to enquire elsewhere that Gwaine had pulled an old green coloured tunic from his pack, saying it was too small for him now and that he’d forgotten to take it out, and that Merlin could have it. Esther thanked him before returning quickly to her house and the frightened 21 year old huddled in her daughters bed._

_Arthur and the knights didn’t see Merlin again until the next day, but preoccupied themselves with dealing with the rogue knights, starting with the man who nearly assaulted their friend. They’d made a public example of him, finding him to be the Captain of his squadron of soldiers, forcing him in front of them and the villagers black and blue, his face disfigured and bleeding. Arthur asked the villagers what they wanted to happen with the cruel knights and the decision had been public humiliation before they were taken away with the Captain being tried once in Camelot for his crimes against the people. Once the decision was made, they were all tied up and guarded until the next day when they were due to leave. No one said anything when later that night Gwaine disappeared for a few hours and came back with incredibly split knuckles and a satisfied smirk on his face, Percival just gave him a slap on the back with a grin and Arthur nodded at him, the others doing something similar. Waiting to see Merlin the next day had felt like a lifetime, Gwaine would not stop pacing and Arthur had to tell him to stop multiple times before Elyan pulled him down to sit in between himself and Lancelot._

_They had also spoken earlier that morning about how to tackle the situation once Merlin was back with them, deciding to keep the bastard as far from her as they could, even prepared to gag him if he tried to say anything vulgar. They didn’t know how comfortable she’d feel around a whole group of men at that moment, so Gwaine and Lancelot agreed to keep an eye on her seeing as they were closest to her as friends, Gwaine having a clear protective nature over her._

_She’d come out of the house, looking smaller than they’d ever seen her, her frame hunched in on itself and her face tear streaked despite her attempts to smile at them turning into a grimace. She was wearing Gwaine’s tunic and her skirts, the ripped edge sewn together again and in her hands clutching the remains of her old tunic tightly and Gwaine’s red cloak. The elder sister, Olivia, was by her side guiding her closer, a female comfort for her at this time. Merlin had coughed a few times before speaking in a very unlike Merlin, reserved tone, ‘Good morning. Should we get going Sire? We have some distance to go and I apologise for upsetting the plan, Sire. You may hold me responsible for any delay in your time, Sire.’ She’d curtsied after that, Arthur’s face a picture of shock, Merlin having never been this formal with him since she began as his Maid servant, before he corrected himself, speaking to her in the kindest tone he could, ‘This has been no fault of yours Merlin, I shall not hear of it. There are no engagements which need addressing back in Camelot so there is no delay which needs addressing, though I agree with the distance, so yes we shall depart. I also want to thank our hosts for their hospitality and that they shall have compensation for damages and violence against them, I give you my word.’ Gwaine had taken that time to guide Merlin back to where her horse was tied, taking a sliver of privacy to draw her into a hug, Merlin stiffening for only a second before relaxing, her arms coming around Gwaine’s waist and holding on tight._

_‘I’m so sorry I didn't get there before Merlin. I’m so sorry.’ She shook her head slightly, ‘It was not your fault Gwaine, I ran in without thinking for myself, like normal I only thought of the girl and wanting her away from that man. It was no one's fault but his. I’m just glad you arrived when you did, for I dread to think of what would have happened if you weren’t all there.’ She pulled away to look him in the face, ‘And thank you for the tunic, I am very grateful for it and the cloak.’ He just smiled at her kindly as she pulled the cloak across his shoulders fastening it for him, ‘I’d do anything for you Merlin, give anything for you. You are so very important in my life, my closest friend and I will endeavour to protect you for as long as I can.’ She smiled blushing, lightly hitting him in the shoulder before looking down at their hands, spying his knuckles, ‘Oh Gwaine, what have you done?!’ Taking them up to check over them, he chuckled at her fussing, ‘Just sorted out a bastard in need of a new face.’ She looked at him in astonishment, a smile creeping onto her face, ‘Thank you, truly thank you.’_

The memory was painful, yet at the same time, solidified her feelings towards her knight. He was kind and gentle and showed her so much affection even when she hadn’t seen it before. She smiled at the much needed realisation of what she needed to tell him, sooner than later, wiped her face of tears and continued to put her home to rights, putting all her clothes away finally and unpacking her travel pack, positioning all the herbs and bottles Gaius had prepared for her on a shelf in the wall and put her spell book in the drawer beside her bed as well as putting the little dragon figure on top of it and conjuring a small bottle to put the eternal rose into, putting it in a spot easy to see. There were a couple of other things she created, a rug for the cold stone flooring as well as pillows and cushions for the chair and her bed. Seeing as she was more or less done, she went to check on Morgana, to see how she liked her room and to talk to her about a certain knight. Morgana was in the midst of putting her clothes in the wardrobe, her dresses and coats, her trousers and tunics waiting on the bed to be put away in the drawers.

’Would you like some help, it could take you a while?’ She nodded, so Merlin went ahead with putting the rest of her clothes into the drawers. They sorted out all Morgana’s various face creams, oils and her perfumes putting them on top of her drawers to serve as a vanity, Morgana conjuring a mirror to sit there as well as her hair brushes. ‘I have figured something out.’ Merlin began, ‘Really? Is it that you are in love with Gwaine or something different?’ Merlin swiped at Morgana’s arm, ‘Yes actually, I was thinking about it and yeah I do love him but I don't know how to admit it to him. That’s the issue, especially if we aren’t really talking to each other.’ Morgana smiled in sympathy, leading Merlin to sit on her bed, ‘Merlin, it is clear that you both have feelings for each other, your issue is that you are both stubborn about things like this. Don’t actively go looking for it, if you find a chance of being alone together then there’s your opportunity to talk to him. He’ll listen if you talk, I’m sure he will.’ With that piece of advice completed, Morgana stood up, pulling Merlin with her and going back out into the main cave so that Merlin could show her round better.

She took Morgana to every area, the houses, then over the bridges and showed her the kitchen and dining area, the school room and the guest rooms surrounded by the pool. ‘This place is amazing isn’t it. I’m really glad that it is safe and protected, I really don’t want anything happening to anyone. Since I’ve been here, they’ve been nothing but family and I would hate for anyone to be hurt.’ They spent some time after that, sitting by the pool with their feet in the water just talking and thinking of ideas that could be used inside once they were fully settled into the new camp. Some of the children were now out and about, running from end to end of the cave, chasing after each other which made the two women laugh, ‘Oh to be young again!’ 

A late lunch was made swiftly once the majority of the druids were settled into their pods. It was a cold lunch of bread, fruit, meat, cheese and drink which filled all the rumbling stomachs quite happily, especially the children who gained not only full stomachs but a whole lot more energy to terrorise all the adults and go crazy running around their new home. They were even allowed outside again, with supervision from some of the older teenagers, who were also pleased to go outside and explore for a while. The rest of the afternoon had been mostly peaceful, Merlin and Cerdan helped Alice sort all her medical supplies out while Morgana and Nathaniel helped Iseldir and some of the other men to form an area to contain a worship circle, where the druids came to once a week to give thanks to the Triple Goddess for all she’d done for the community. Merlin didn’t see Gwaine much, just caught glimpses of him ever so often as he helped move supplies into the kitchen with Cade and a few of the younger women who needed help carrying the heavier things, like the large sacks of flour, salt and sugar that were regularly used. They also had to move tools, such as shovels and spades which they would use to make a vegetable patch outside the cave at some point. The children came home tired and many were sent off by their mothers to bed for a while to give them time to rest after their exciting day. 

It was due to all the moving that no one really noticed when it began to go dark, the light being replaced by the moon and stars while the large torches positioned around the cave lit and sent a warming glow around the cave, each home pod also lit up with the smaller torches inside each pod, the light shining through the doorway and the small window each pod had. The atmosphere it created was comforting for their first night in the cave as a group again. During the evening meal of stewed rabbit and pheasant, Iseldir gave thanks to the Goddess for their new home and for the opportunities given to them, as well as for leading them safely through unknown land. It had been a very cheery event, with wine and ale being passed around and shared between the adults, music was played and songs were sung, filling the cave with joyous song and overall happiness to honour the beginning of a new start for them all. Merlin didn’t really join in with the celebrations, choosing to sit further away and watch as her friends sang and danced and cheered for a new home, drinking her cup of apple juice, thinking over how thankful she was for having friends in these people. A shadow on the wall flickered, drawing her attention away over to the entrance where she saw the tell tale figure of Gwaine making his way out the entrance, frowning slightly, she felt a tug on her mind , looking back to the druids to see Morgana looking pointedly at her, motioning for her to follow ‘This is your chance Merlin, take it!’ She took a deep breath, smiling at Morgana before standing up and going to follow her knight from the cave. 

He wasn’t outside when she got there, but luckily she was able to guess which direction he went, going just a little further from the cave entrance, she found him sitting on a fallen tree facing a portion of the river that happened to be visible. She took another deep breath before going to sit beside him, not touching. ‘What are you doing out here? I thought you would have been inside celebrating with the rest of them.’ She asked, voice loud in the quiet nature, ‘Needed some air.’ He didn’t say anything else after that, leaving them in silence again, an uncomfortable silence. Nothing more was said for quite a while, Merlin sitting there beside him, wringing her hands together and glancing at him every other second, his face highlighted in the moon. He just sat there, face solemn and not even glancing her way, not once. ‘Was there anything else you wanted Merlin?’ She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out, ‘If not, I’ll see you around.’ He stood up, knees clicking turning to walk back to the cave but in her panic, Merlin grabbed a hold of his hand, coming to stand too. ’Wait, wait just, just wait. I don’t know how to say it but I want to and I need you to listen, please…’

He looked at her, emotion on his face she couldn’t decipher, yet determined to speak her mind. ‘I regret it, I regret telling you I wanted my own space, I regret all the tension between us when there should be none. I regret that I’ve never had the courage to think we were anything more than friends until now, I regret not talking to you about us. I don’t want my own space, I couldn’t sleep last night, thinking that you wouldn’t be around me anymore, my home feels empty Gwaine; It feels empty because you aren’t in it. I’ve gotten so used to being around you, that the thought of you not being there is too hard to imagine, it would be too quiet. What I want is for you to be around me all the time, what I want is for you to be there when I wake up, when I go to sleep because the first and last thing I want to see everyday is you…’ He was still looking at her, as she clutched onto his hand tight, scared to let go, ‘I regret not telling you before that I love you… I love you so much, even if I hadn’t fully realised it and I’m sorry that I never noticed how much you liked me before now. I don’t want you to leave me, I don’t want you to go because I love you too much for that. I know that you probably no longer want to be around me now, but I just thought you should…’ He cut her off, hand coming up to hold her face as he kissed her while his other held onto her waist, drawing her closer to him.

It was better than she thought it could be, his caress was gentle yet his lips firm as he kissed her wholeheartedly and in that second of time, her magic flourished, bursting from her in a halo of sparkles surrounding them, shimmering both gold and blue as she kissed him back, her hands coming together behind his back, holding onto him as he held onto her. They briefly broke away from each other, foreheads touching as Gwaine spoke ‘Merlin if you ever think in your life that I don't want you, then you are severely wrong! All I have wanted is you for the longest time. I just regret never being man enough to tell you. For the longest time I thought you just thought of me as a friend, I never thought I had a chance at your affections so I didn’t try but what I know is that I wholeheartedly and irrevocably fell in love with you. You have always been the light of my life, admittedly the first and last thing I think of in a day. Now as I have told you many times before; You are an amazement, Merlin, and I am so, so in love with you.’ He pressed his lips to hers once again, stealing small intimate kisses from her before just wrapping her completely in his arms as she tucked her head down into his shoulder and neck.

They stood like that for a while, not talking, not moving, just holding each other. ‘We are both so stupid aren’t we?’ Merlin laughed pulling away to look into his eyes, Gwaine nodded hand coming up to wipe an unnoticed tear from Merlin's cheek, ‘We’re so stupid but I meant what I said. Honestly cannot think of myself with anyone other than you.’ He smiled at her, ‘So with the tears and the confessions out the way, will you allow me to finally court you?’ Merlin nodded, kissing him softly one more time, ‘Yes, there’s nothing I’d like more.’ Kissing him one more time, she then began pulling him back towards the cave, ‘Now we’d better get back before meddling Morgana comes searching for us!’ Gwaine groaned in mock annoyance, ‘Fine, let’s go, but you’re stuck with me now for the rest of the night. However, what are we going to do about sleeping arrangements, are we going to sleep in different rooms or? ‘ He sounded bashful and a bit confused, but Merlin only smiled and whispered under her breath, ‘ **Move Gwaine’s belongings to my home, all of them.’** before saying to him, ‘Don’t worry about it, it’s all sorted! Now come on let’s celebrate.’ leading them inside and back to the rest of the druids. 

Morgana looked up the moment they entered the cave, obviously waiting for them to return and smiled brightly when she noticed their hands intertwined and the overjoyed smiles on their faces. They sat together for the rest of the night, sides touching and Gwaine’s hand a constant presence on her side as he gazed on her lovingly. Morgana just rolled her eyes, thankful that herself and Nathaniel had been so open with each other at the beginning of their relationship with none of this tense and awkward pining for one another. The night eventually wound down, the children having to go to bed as it was very late in the evening and the adults who drank a bit much wine and ale were also helped to bed, leaving just a few people, including Merlin, Gwaine, Morgana and Nathaniel and Iseldir and Cerdan.

They spoke for a while longer, Iseldir taking notice of their closeness and congratulating them for finally coupling together which had the pair of them blushing- neither of them realising they had been that obvious to everyone but each other.

Eventually though, however nice it was talking to everyone, the call for sleep got clearer and Merlin could barely keep her eyes open as she stood up, holding onto Gwaine’s hand and bid their goodbyes, ignoring the grin on Morgana and Nathaniel’s faces as she led Gwaine away and towards her pod- their pod. To say he was surprised to see his things there was true, he was definitely surprised and impressed. It was like their routine was back to normal all at once, Merlin changing in the bathroom out of sight, waiting for Gwaine to also change before coming back into the main room. Their beds were close to each other yet not touching, still keeping that sensible distance from each other, but all his clothes and belongings were either in drawers, hanging in the wardrobe or on the table or drawers. They moved in a way that made their routine work just for them, the only thing that had changed was the long, long kiss before they went to bed, looking at one another with stars in their eyes. ‘This is our home Gwaine, and I think we’ll be here for a long time to come. I love you.’ He beamed, ‘I love you too, so, so much.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello every one, sorry for the long wait in between postings. I had a lot going on this week and hardly found time to write however I am pleased with this chapter. I could say it is a bit rushed, however I hope that it doesn't come across that way.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and feel free to comment.  
> Thanks xx


	7. Do you regret it?

‘What have you done Arthur?’ The king looked up from where he was sitting in his room at the table. Guinevere was standing by the door, a look on her face that gave away her disbelief, Arthur sighed, putting the quill he was holding down. ‘What have you done?’ She hadn’t moved, hadn’t made any choice to come further into the room, ‘I removed a threat to Camelot, that’s what I’ve done; surely you must understand that!’ He said, thinking he could make her see reason. ‘A threat... A threat? It was Merlin, Merlin the servant who has been with you for six years Arthur. Merlin, your loyal friend, a threat!’ She looked angry then, something Arthur rarely saw of her, mostly choosing to conceal her feelings than show them, something that she kept since being a servant. ‘Gwen please, she was a sorcerer! She was magic, magic corrupts, it’s evil you know that.’ He stood up planning to go to her, ‘No I don’t know that and I don’t care if she had magic.’ Arthur froze, feeling shocked, ‘Magic has helped me before you know, it helped my father while he was ill and it has helped my brother, at the well. Do you remember that Arthur? It has helped Sir Leon when he was almost killed in battle. Is that something you’d consider evil? Druids helped a knight of Camelot, the place that despises them the most, and you think that's corrupt, evil.’

Guinevere opened the door again, turning to leave, ‘Merlin was my closest friend with Morgana and I only had her once Morgana left and you’ve taken away one of the best things I had in this castle.’ She sighed, ‘I wasn’t always Queen, Arthur; servants, we see things nobility don’t, we see the good and the bad in people and Merlin- she had no evil intent in her the entire time I’ve known her. You began changing for the better when Merlin arrived in Camelot you know, you were less conceited, more approachable, even for the servants, yet hearing from Elyan what you said to Merlin when _you threatened her_ and forced her to leave’ She shook her head, eyes sparkling with tears, ‘I’ve never been so disappointed in you.’ The door closed loudly behind her, leaving the king in silence, thinking over what his wife had said to him, in that moment feeling like a small child who had been scolded by their mother. Arthur didn’t know how to react as his wife’s admission, not knowing what to make of it, yet he still stuck to his reasoning, he was the King of Camelot and he had to do what was best for his people.

After Gwaine had made a stand against Arthur and helped the witch out of the room, Arthur was frozen, no knight having ever disobeyed his orders in that way and never so willing to leave because of it. He sent everyone from the room then, in no mood for anyone and the knights left, tense shouldered and not speaking, not protesting the order which Arthur was grateful for. He’d sat on his throne and stewed for a long time, waving off anyone who tried speaking to him or entering the room. In the end, sitting on the throne became uncomfortable and so Arthur returned to his and Gwen’s room to find better comfort. Hoping he’d find his wife in the room, he was disappointed when she wasn’t, yet seeing as she now had duties of her own, he wasn’t surprised. He was angry still, angry that that witch had been in his castle, in his home this entire time. The witch had been by his side, doing who knows what to enforce decisions on him and his council. Knowing he couldn't stew in his anger for long, he’d started looking at a few documents needing his approval, taking time to focus on that instead when he’d heard the sound of horses on the cobblestones outside in the courtyard. He stood from his seat at the table and went to the window, curious to see who it would be and also wanting fresh air; he wasn’t surprised to see the two figures of his former knight and the witch on their horses, Arthur had no need to prohibit the use of them, for he had none. He looked on as Gwaine helped guide her away, even as she looked tense in the saddle, as though she wanted to turn around to look back at the castle.

When the pair of them had disappeared from sight, he let out a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding, before turning back to his documents leading him up until Gwen entered the room. 

It had been over a week and it was safe to say that the entire castle was very tense. Both the nobility and servants were quieter than usual, the servants mouse-like in their comings and goings from room to room. The knights were also not up to their regular rowdiness and more like a closely guarded unit. Having Gwaine gone meant no more cheery joking around, no more fanciful stories about bars, women and other adventures from his travels before Camelot. Gwaine was often the member of the knights to begin a bout of jesting and well meant teasing but there was very little of that. They performed well during training sessions and out on patrols but the atmosphere wasn’t as light-hearted as it had been before. Gwen still wasn’t taking Arthur’s decision well, in fact she had taken to sleeping in another room and only interacting with Arthur when the situation demanded it with their royal duties, which really was not working well for either of them, Gwen simply because of her love for her husband however much she was disappointed in him and Arthur because he was no longer used to being without her by his side and he was becoming miserable with it.

She was also angry that he hadn’t thought to include her in the decision of the situation, however much she disagreed and Arthur could see it in both his wife and his knights. The knights now regarded him in a closed way, a dutiful way- he was their King and so they’d treat him as such, no longer as that of a friend. Lancelot was the most cold with him, being the closest to Merlin after Gwaine out of the knights and as much he was respectful and still showed loyalty to Arthur, he never liked being in the same space as Arthur for longer than a few minutes and he’d stayed at the back of the group when they had been on patrol with Arthur a few days after the incident. Gaius was somewhat different to the rest, he still treated Arthur as he should but there was a tone in his voice that made it feel as though he was angry whenever he had to interact with Arthur. Arthur could also assume that after a conversation he’d had with Gaius a day or so after Gwaine… and Merlin had left.

Feeling wound up from the last few days, Arthur made a trip to see his court physician, determined to find out whether or not he knew of there being a sorcerer in his care. Going alone and unannounced he found Gaius in the middle of looking over one of the serving girls, for a wound to her arm excusing her to return in a while. Bidding the King with a curtsy and and thank you to Gaius for now, the girl hurried out closing the door behind her, leaving just Arthur and Gaius, who paid him no real attention and just went about cleaning some of his medicine bottles. Clearing his throat, Arthur stood for a few moments in a tense silence as the old physician pottered around his workspace. Catching sight of the door to the room in which his ex-maidservant slept gave Arthur a sense of discomfort and so he promptly turned away. ‘Is there something I can do for you Sire? For if there is nothing you wish to discuss, I need to begin my rounds to my patients.’ The old man was looking at him with that same raised eyebrow he normally had, yet his stare made Arthur feel scrutinised, who cleared his throat again before speaking, ‘I wish to know whether or not you knew of the witch’s existence in Camelot.’

Gaius looked back to the bottle he was polishing, ‘Yes, I knew of Merlin being a witch and I have done since her first day in Camelot. However, before you jump to conclusions Sire, all Merlin has ever tried to do was help you prosper as both a Prince and a King, not once has she tried to harm you or Camelot.’ Arthur was angry, he didn’t know how to react, ‘You knew she was a sorcerer, that’s just a punishment waiting for you Gaius and of course she was going to try and harm Camelot, that’s what magic does, it poisons people into something evil.’ Gaius cut him off, more emotion in his voice than you could ever hear, ‘You forget Sire, that you father knew I had once been in the practice of magic and I only gave it up to continue working here in Camelot. Magic has been a part of Camelot for longer than you think and there will always be someone who knows how to use it. In Merlin’s case, she had never once tried to harm you, of all the times she’d risked her life to save yours, almost killing herself in the process. I ask Sire, do you remember when Merlin drank the goblet filled with poison meant for you, well at that point she nearly died, her magic being the only thing to keep her breathing. When Nimueh sent the questing beast which nearly killed you, Merlin bargained with Nimueh to trade her life for yours to save you, Nimueh tricked her, causing illness on her mother, my sister. It was after that point where I tried to bargain _my life_ in her place, yet Merlin somehow managed to reverse the effects, bringing me back to life and saving her mother all at once as she killed Nimueh. Would you say that’s an act of evil intent? Saving the life of her Prince, mother and uncle? The son of the King that wanted her kind murdered- I think not Sire and I’m sure there are many people who feel the same as I yet fear for their life if they share these feelings.’ Arthur was frozen, trying to think of all the ways he could argue against what the old physician was saying but finding it nearly impossible, he had mixed feelings, the level of distrust and anger over magic outweighing the trust by more than he could think.

There was a pause made of silence, causing Arthur to respond, ‘Still, magic is an offence punishable by death and I let her off enough by banishing her. Just be wise to never try anything like that again Gaius, or we may be in need of another physician.’ Gaius made no moves to speak, just gave a respectful tilt of his head and a raised eyebrow before taking up his bag of medicines and bandages and leaving the King standing in the middle of the room with even more thoughts in his head than he was previously used too. 

Arthur returned to his quarters, his brow furrowed and his brain thinking a million thoughts a minute. Entering the room, thinking he’d be alone like normal, he was surprised to find Gwen there sitting on the wooden, cushioned ottoman next to the window, although pleased to see her even though she wasn’t happy with him. She’d looked over when the door opened, giving him a small smile and motioned him towards her with a raised arm, hand held out for him. Seeing as she was openly expressing a want of his presence for the first time in over a week, he was going to take it, swiftly discarding the belt and sword from around his waist to go and take her hand in his. 

If anyone had seen the King at that moment, on his knees weeping into the Queen’s skirts as he held his wife’s hand in one hand and grasped at her hip with the other, no one would have believed it. King Arthur was a proud man- much like his father, not known for showing weaknesses unless in the presence of those he trusts. Gwen brought her other hand up to run through the blonde strands of Arthur’s hair, hushing him in the soft voice reserved only for him, ‘Oh my love, shh Arthur, I have you, you do not need to cry. I’m here and I’m staying Arthur, I’m not leaving.’ She held him for as long as he cried, humming a tune to help soothe him as much as she could. At some point during his crying, she’d also joined him on the floor, holding onto him as much as he was holding onto her, letting his crying dwindle into sniffles and silence. After the silence had drawn on for a while Arthur spoke, voice rough from crying, ‘I’m so confused Guinevere, I don’t know what to think. I have all these feelings towards magic locked in my head from a young age, I have bad experiences from magic yet I have people telling me and believing that magic isn’t as I see it. That they don’t care if someone had magic, they knew someone who had magic. I don’t trust magic, I can’t, I won’t but I’m so confused.’

She hummed, bringing her handkerchief up to wipe gently at the tears on his cheeks and eyes. ‘You are within your rights to be confused Arthur, you are right to be distrustful but Arthur...it was Merlin. Merlin who didn’t like having to go hunting with you, Merlin, your somewhat stubborn yet exceedingly loyal maidservant. I would have thought your friend too Arthur and yet you didn’t listen to her. You didn’t give her the option of explaining. You let your anger and own feelings take control of the situation, that is why I was angry with you doing that without me there. You had a right to be angry, same as many of us are within our rights to be angry with you. Merlin was friends with many people, many of the knights-especially Gwaine and Lancelot, and they are sad that not one but two of their friends can no longer be with them. I suggest now, that you think on the subject for a while longer and we can carry on from there, but for now I think a sleep is in both of our interests, don’t you.’ Gwen stood, Arthur rising with her. She shooed him over to the bed, while walking to the door and telling the guards that unless urgent, that neither her nor the King were to be disturbed.

With that in order, she returned to their bed, standing in front of Arthur and motioning for him to undo the lacing on the back of her dress. Once unlaced, she was able to put her regal red dress to the side and in just her under tunic, turned back to Arthur to help pull his dark brown jacket off so that it could also be put aside along with Gwen’s heels and Arthur's boots. She finally climbed onto the bed and settled into Arthur awaiting arms, pulling the covers on top of them. ‘I love you Guinevere.’ She smiled against his shoulder, ‘I love you too.’ Sleep pulled both of them under quicker than either of them had slept in the entire week, leaving the King and his Queen content and relaxed as they slept peacefully.

‘Where is he, the oaf? I sent him about an hour ago and he still isn’t here. I have training with the knights in less than a quarter hour and if I don’t have my sword, what is the point!’ Arthur fumed, throwing some pages of blank parchment onto the floor in his annoyance. This will be the third manservant Arthur was going to discharge, none of them being competent enough for Arthur’s basic needs. The first servant, he’d lasted five hours and was doing fine until he had taken a few bags of gold and just disappeared from Camelot and to be honest Arthur had been quite impressed, so didn’t send anyone after the thief, seeing as there was bound to be a reason for stealing from the King of Camelot. The second servant, he was just a fool, couldn’t handle simple tasks such as getting the right food Arthur asked for, couldn’t work out how to fit Arthur into his armour, couldn’t work out how to sort out Arthur’s papers on his desk for him. Arthur put up with it for three days before he kindly told the man he was no longer required. This third man- well he’d been working for Arthur for two weeks, he wasn’t the worst but he never did anything on time, he was now known around the castle for talking to anyone and everyone who would listen, even if he had a task to complete for Arthur. Apart from that he was good, but Arthur couldn’t be late for functions and audiences just because his servant liked to chatter. Arthur was just thinking about how to let him go when the door opened and in walked his servant, carrying in his hand, not only Arthur’s sword but a bundle of what looked like Gwen’s dresses. ‘Sorry for the wait Sire, one of the maids had to rush off for another job and asked me to bring the Queen’s washing with me. Your sword is also at it’s finest condition, nicely sharpened and polished to shine!’

The corner of Arthur’s mouth turned up a little, the man reminded him a bit of Merlin in fact, would do the work Arthur told them to do, yet manage to do something else at the same time. The only difference being that Noah didn’t talk back or make snarky and sarcastic comments at Arthur, he was what a manservant should be and even with his faults, Arthur did like him.

‘Noah, leave those for now, what’s important is that I get to training, so pass my sword here.’ The man handed the sword over and Arthur motioned for him to follow as he made his way out the room and down the corridor towards the training fields. ‘You make a good servant Noah’ He saw the man smile proudly, ‘Yet I need a servant who can keep good timing, I cannot be late for things, training and court appearances for a start. Do you understand?’ Noah faltered slightly at his side, the smile dropping, ‘I apologise Sire, I do not mean to make you late for your duties, I promise Sire, it has never been intentional. I just happen to find myself helping other servants and maids with duties as I return to you, I honestly am not doing it intentionally to cause you to be late.’ Arthur, motioned for them to carry on, ‘I am not angry at you, I’m sure that you haven’t been deliberately doing so but there are times where I need you to be completely time aware, not only for myself but for your sake as well. I will tell you now that I was previously debating whether or not to let you go but I’m sure that having this talk with you should be sufficient in keeping you aware of your timing. Do you understand?’ Noah nodded, looking sheepish, ‘Yes Sire, of course.’ The two men made it to the training field just as the majority of the knights arrived, waiting expectantly. Arthur sent Noah off with a kind smile to reassure him that he was no longer angry before turning back to his knights. ‘Right, just because it’s later in the day, don’t think you can slack off. Begin!’ 

Over 30 suns had passed by, the Kingdom was faring well and the castle was getting back to normal, however, Arthur didn’t feel normal and his knights and Gaius still weren’t comfortable around him. Since Gwen had spoken with him that day, he had thought about what she had said, what Gaius had said. He was still apprehensive and felt betrayed, yet the more he thought about that, he realised that even if she felt as though she could have told him, she was too frightened to and Gwaine went with her because first and foremost he was loyal to her, Arthur knew that since they’d met the rogue and Merlin had befriended him. Gwaine wasn’t staying for Arthur, he was staying for her which made sense seeing as they were best friends. He wondered whether or not anyone else knew about Merlin other than Gaius, whether or not Gwaine knew, but he’d looked surprised that morning when Arthur banished them so probably not. Making a decision, Arthur decided to speak to Gwen later that night, the opportunity making itself known during their evening meal. ‘Gwen my love, I’ve been thinking and while I still don’t like it and I will need a thorough explanation… I think I would like to try and find Merlin and Gwaine. I deserve reasoning and she deserves to be listened to, even if I don’t like what she has to say.’ Gwen smiled at him, ‘I think you are right in that. Both things are needed for it to work; explanation will be the way you can come to some understanding… and I truly wish to see her again. She’s one of my best friends and I haven’t heard from Morgana in a few years, so seeing her, even if it's just a short time would be very appreciated.’

Arthur nodded, taking a drink of wine from his goblet, ‘I’ll send out some knights to search around Camelot, although I don’t know whether they would have stayed. I shall also take the Knights of the Round Table out with me to look. Maybe that will gain their respect for me again, as I fear I have lost that.’ Gwen looked pleased, yet saddened at what he said, ‘They are sad Arthur, because they lost two of their friends, Merlin wasn’t just a servant to them and Gwaine- well he was just the life of the party wasn’t he? You can’t expect the knights to be alright. However, I’m sure once you tell them of your plans, your bonds with them will be restored. I might talk to Elyan though, he is my brother after all.’ Arthur shook his head, taking time to eat a little more from his plate, ‘No I shall talk to them, it was my decisions, my choices that led them to this point. For now though, let’s just enjoy the rest of our night.’ He raised his goblet into the air, Gwen mirroring him, ‘To you, my dear Queen, for being my sense of reason!’ She blushed bright red, making Arthur chuckle into his cup, thinking. _‘I’m so grateful to have her in my life. I don’t know what I’d do without her.’_

Gwen watched from the top of the castle steps as Arthur rode into the courtyard with the knights behind him. Her brow furrowed, seeing how exhausted and disheartened they appeared. No longer sat proud in their saddles, but slumped, shoulders hung and tired looks on their handsome faces. They came to a stop, stable hands coming to steady the horses while they dismounted and leading them off to be tended to. Arthur caught her eye as he walked up the steps with the knights, coming to a stop before her, he shook his head, Gwen not needing to hear his answer to know what he meant, _‘We couldn’t find them.’_ She let out a down sigh, taking Arthur’s hand in hers as she glanced over the rest of the knights, ‘Take the rest of the day off, take time to relax and recuperate. Your duties will resume tomorrow.’ The knights looked pleased at this, the tenseness in their shoulders relaxing just a bit. ‘Thank you my Queen, Sire.’ Leon said, the knights all bowing in respect before heading into the castle to go to their quarters.

‘Remind me to have them all sent a good meal this evening, they’ve worked hard.’ Arthur said, an arm around Gwen’s waist as he led her inside, ‘How did it go this time?’ She asked tentatively, Arthur sighed, ‘Well we didn’t find any trace of them. It’s been over a month and a half since they left and I don’t understand how it’s so difficult to find them, it’s two people. I swear I’ve had every inch of the kingdom searched, yet no sign of them in any corner. Maybe they did go to another kingdom but it’s not as though I can send Camelot’s soldiers into another kingdom without being suspected of war which I don’t want so I don’t know what to do now.’ Gwen hmm’d in thought, ‘Perhaps, they already know you are looking for them and are just in hiding. Due to what you said to her the last time you spoke, Merlin may be frightened that you are trying to capture her for imprisonment or...for execution and from what Elyan told me, Gwaine doesn't sound happy with you at all and I doubt he’d want you anywhere near her.’ Coming to their quarters, Gwen called for a bath to be drawn for Arthur to wash, ‘Yes I can understand that. I just wish I had some way of telling her that she was in no danger, that I just wish to talk with her, that’s all I wish for.’ Arthur would find them, he needed too and he didn’t care how long it would take.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise!! Arthur's POV!!  
> I will not lie when I say that this took much longer than I thought it would. I really wasn't sure how to work this chapter and I wasn't sure if I could make it ~sound~ like Arthur, since I've never considered writing him.  
> I really hope you enjoy it and feel free to give feedback  
> xx


	8. I don't want to go back.

‘Merlin love, are you coming?’ Gwaine’s head poked through the door to their home, ‘Are you alright?’, she was sitting at the foot of her bed, a small stack of papers clutched in her hands. ‘Yes, no, I don’t know. It’s letters from Gaius and Lancelot, they arrived while you were with Nath and Cade but I don’t know if I can open them or not, even though I wrote to the two of them, I don’t know how they are going to respond.’ She leant into Gwaine’s side when he came to sit beside her, ‘Would you like me to open them for you?’ Merlin shook her head, ‘No not yet, they can wait. We have a whole day planned and I’m not going to miss it for some letters. We’d better go before Morgana comes knocking as I’d prefer it if she didn’t.’ She gave him a peck on the cheek before standing up and holding her hands out for him to hold onto. ‘How many of the children are we taking with us?’ Gwaine asked, as they made their way out and down towards the dining area where they were meeting everyone, ‘Only five of the teenagers, Blake, Bud, Saxon, Robyn and Lydia. They are easier to keep track of and they can help carry things if need be. Plus they know the risks involved so it was just overall easier to do it that way.’ Merlin, Gwaine, Morgana and Nathaniel were going to be heading to the nearest trading village today, along with five of the older teenagers who had volunteered to go with them. Some of the supplies they needed had begun to run out and so some more were needed to replenish the depleted amount. Most of it could be created through magic, but it also gave a chance to leave the cave for a while and the five teenagers had been getting quite fidgety stuck inside the cave, even though they could go outside. 

They’d been living in the cave for around a week, everyone gradually getting used to being there, everyone getting used to a new routine and so far everyone was enjoying it, however, since it was still so new, it was a bit claustrophobic even though the cave was bigger than any they’d ever known, it was still too enclosed for some of the druids, many of them used to sleeping in tents under the stars. Some of them would spend as much time outside the cave during the day as possible, just so that feeling wouldn’t come back. Merlin had moments where she felt like that, but living in a Castle made of stone for six years, you get used to that feeling; she also had Gwaine which made everything better. Finally having figured out their feelings for each other, they were both happier, far happier than they had been previously as they were finally being true to their feelings. The next morning, Morgana had cornered Merlin and made her spill what had happened the night before, which Merlin told her, blushing nearly the whole time much to Morgana’s entertainment.

Their relationship was just like before, however, now Gwaine took every opportunity he could get to press a kiss to Merlin’s lips, with a mutter of ‘I love you Merls.’ echoing it when he pulled away, his face pulled into a happy grin every time. Just like the night they’d confessed to each other, their kisses were now always accompanied with a small halo of gold and blue shimmers of her magic, making each moment they had extra special in her eyes; however, she had asked Iseldir about it, seeing as she never seen something like that before, not even in any of the druid couples and he didn’t have a clue. It wasn’t something he’d seen either but did suggest that it could be something to do with her being Emrys but he’d continue to look elsewhere for answers.

‘Merlin, Gwaine are you both ready because we need to get going?’ Merlin nodded, ‘Yeah we’re all good. Come on boys, help with the cart.’ They were taking the smallest cart with them, along with a pony for leading it, it would make it easier to bring back supplies, plus it was just big enough to fit the teenagers if it was needed. The trading village wasn’t very far, Morgana and Nathaniel having found it when they went on a walk one afternoon for some time together so Morgana and Nathaniel would be leading the way. It was good to be going out for a while, as Merlin hadn’t really had a chance to go and explore around the outside of the cave, too busy fixing things up and making changes to the cave with Morgana and Cerdan. The three boys took control of the cart, pushing it towards the ramp before hitching the pony to it and leading it up the ramp and outside. It was easy to tell that they were excited, the five of them talking excitedly together, while the four adults walked behind them, chatting amongst themselves, Morgana occasionally telling them which direction to go. ‘Oh to be young without priorities and responsibility.’ Gwaine said, making the three of them laugh, ‘Oh Goddess yes! Seriously, I remember being so carefree and them one day if was-Right, now you have to do this, this and this to help support the camp. My mum was a physician so I had to begin learning how to heal and there went my carefree nature.’ Nathaniel laughed, gesturing wildly with his arms.

Morgana scoffed, ‘You think that was tough, I don't think I ever have been ‘carefree’. I have had duties as a Princess since I was twelve summers old, that’s what happens with being royalty, plus you barely get time just for yourself. Oh and I also had Uther as my guardian and that was scary.’ The other felt bad for Morgana, yes while being a Princess had it’s glamorous highs, it was also invasive on her and being the ward of a tyrant had not been fun, especially since she had to hide her magic. ‘Yeah, well you guys don't have a duty to protect the prat who banished and threatened you. You don’t have to talk to a riddle loving lizard every time things go wrong. It’s really not that easy and I don’t know how I’m supposed to do it.’ Gwaine’s thumb ran small circles on the back of her hand, ‘We’ll help you any way we can Merlin, you no longer have to try it on your own.’ Morgana said resolutely, ‘I haven’t been around for a few years and I feel bad that I couldn’t have been there with you. You won’t be alone in this any longer.’ 

‘Thanks ‘gana. Also, I got a couple of letters this morning, from Gaius and Lancelot. I'm waiting until later to open them but I’ll let you know what they say.’ Merlin looked further ahead to where the five were waiting for them with the cart, ‘How much further to this village?’ Nathaniel answered, ‘No long now, once we’re at the ridge of the hill, it will be just a short walk below. About 10 minutes or so, we’ll leave the cart outside the village but we’ll glamour it so it doesn't get taken, along with the pony. We should be in and out soon enough, there isn’t much to buy.’ The adults carried on to the teens, this time walking before them as Morgana and Nathaniel led then the rest of the way until the group could hear the faint callings of people bustling round in the village and smoke from fires.

Once the village came into view, they stopped, just inside a dense area of foliage. Gwaine tied up the pony, making sure the knot was tight enough to not come loose, while Nathaniel and the girls spoke to the teens. ‘So now that we’re here, there are some rules, you are to stick close to us, I don’t want any of you wandering off. Second, no magic- I mean it, we don’t know how friendly these people are and we don’t want any trouble, thirdly, if one of us says to run… you run and you come back here, that is something that isn’t going to be disputed alright. Do you understand?’ The five of them nodded, the eldest boys, Blake and Saxon grabbing a hold of the girls hands, leaving Bud to walk beside them, holding onto Robyn’s other hand. ‘Right ‘gana if you could…’ Nathaniel motioned to the pony and cart as Morgana quickly recited a spell, a shimmer came over the pony and cart before settling to normal, ‘Ok, let’s get a move on. I know what we need to buy and I’ll try and be as quick as possible but some of it may take longer.’ Merlin and Morgana chuckled, Nathaniel being very purposeful today, taking charge when he never usually did but they understood, seeing as Nathaniel didn’t like being around people he wasn’t familiar with, the same as them, so he was easy to understand. 

One of the key things they needed to buy were some sacks of grain, which would be the first thing they would get. They also needed some more fabrics and other materials, some seeds for planting vegetables, spices and other small things. The nerves began kicking in once they were in plain view of the village and its people, Merlin felt her magic swell to the surface, as did Morgana’s both of them ready for anything. The teenagers' magic and Nathaniel’s had also swelled but that was most likely to do with the presence of Merlin’s magic being as powerful as it is. Gwaine also kept a hand on his sword at his hip, eyes looking around for any potential threats, a knight's instinct that he still had. However, his face was still open and he had an arm around Merlin, same with the other couple to keep up appearances. They got a few looks right off the bat, but the place was busy enough that they were quickly able to blend in with everyone else, looking around the different stools until they managed to come across a man selling grain.

The man had laid out samples of the bag sizes for the grain, there were two sizes which would be good for the camp but it depended on how much coin he was expecting for them. ‘You lot new around here or something? I haven’t seen the likes of you before.’ Merlin looked at the man, he was wiry, had balding grey hair and crooked teeth; the whites of his eyes were also a little yellow, indicating jaundice-something seen often in Camelot. The man was looking at them with a half crazed, half suspicious look, something quite frightening about it which had Merlin subconsciously drawing closer to Gwaine. Gwaine took initiative, ‘Just passing through, a long journey ahead of us sir.’ He applied his charm to it’s highest degree, sending the keeper a smile to keep appearances. ‘Travellers huh, you a family or something.’ Gwaine smiled carrying on the conversation while Morgana and Nathaniel watched from looking at the bags, ‘Yes, my wife and our companion are sisters and these are our children.’ Gwaine pulled the two dark haired girls and Saxon into his and Merlin’s space, putting a hand on the boys shoulder as Merlin followed his lead, the girls tucking themselves into Merlin as though they were _shy_ ‘The other two children are our nephews.’

Both the other boys were blond like Nathaniel, so it worked out fine ‘Bit young aren’t you for children?’ Gwaine tensed at Merlin's side ‘We’re old enough but anyway, that’s beside what we are here for-which is grain, so if you could be so kind as to help us with that.’ Gwaine’s smile was getting strained, the man getting too nosy for his own good and it would only be a few questions more before Gwaine would have had enough. Merlin leant into him and pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek, a reminder of their situation to him and watched him take a steady breath in and out. The man had seemed to notice Gwaine’s thinly veiled threat, if noticing his sword helped and took on a fake, serviceable smile, quickly talking with Nathaniel about the grain, it’s price and collection for later. They left after, with promise from the man that he’d have the grain bagged for when they came back and then Nathaniel would pay him. 

When they were out of hearing range from the man, Nathaniel thumped Gwaine on the back, ‘Good thinking back then. That man was making us really nervous.’ Gwaine nodded, ‘Yeah he was making Merlin nervous and I didn’t like that, though it was the easiest way to get him to get on with it and stop asking questions but anyway where are we going now?’ Morgana pointed over to a stall mostly surrounded by women, ‘Fabric, we need more fabric. It’s just for various things, making bags, clothes, swaddles etc, but me and Merlin can look at these, how about you take the boys and go and get the seeds and spices and we’ll keep an eye on the girls.’ Both men looked rather hesitant, but with a careful flash of golden eyes and raised brows, they conceded taking the three boys with them after pressing kisses to their partners cheek, ‘You’d think that they’d forgotten who we are wouldn’t you?’ Morgana laughed, ‘Come on girls, you can look for some colours you like and we’ll try and get you something.’ Lydia and Robyn smiled brightly and made their way over to the table, talking quietly between them, Morgana and Merlin behind them, watching in amusement. ‘You know I think I like the idea of you being my sister Merlin, I think it’ll stay like that now.’ Morgana smiled as Merlin agreed, ‘I must say we do look quite similar to each other and yes, you are my sister aren’t you.’ The two women chuckled arriving at the table and began to look at the different fabrics on display.

Most of the material was darker coloured, browns, blues, greens etc but there were a few lengths of lighter coloured material, like fawns, beige, pink and white. ‘What did we need?’ Morgana looked up from a roll of fawn coloured fabric, ‘A couple of under tunic colours and a couple of special ones.’ She leant in to whisper in Merlin’s ear, ‘Once we’re gone, we can make them larger and change the colours if we want and need too.’ Merlin nodded, her eyes catching on a set of darker greens and blues, she reached out to have a feel and was surprised to find how soft they were and how vivid the colours were up close. Those were fabrics that she would get, they were too pretty to pass up. ‘Is there anything I can help you with ladies?’ The soft spoken voice of the stall owner was a welcome sound as Merlin looked up, the woman wasn’t much older than Merlin, a petite framed lady with her baby strapped to her chest in a brown strip of material. Merlin smiled, ‘I think we are doing alright at the moment, but once we’ve chosen what to buy, we’ll let you know.’ The lady smiled back and moved further down the table to speak to another lady. ‘Have you found what we need ‘gana, since this load will be quite expensive as it is, plus the extras for the girls, I’m not sure we’ll have enough?’

Morgana glanced around and leant over pretending to cough, yet Merlin knew what she was doing from the quick surge of magic she felt and looked at her chuckling. ‘Oh I think we have enough Merlin.’ With a raise of her eyebrows and a sneaky look, Morgana then turned to the girls, ‘Have you two found something you’d like to get?’ They nodded, each holding up a small bundle of colourful hair ribbons, ‘Is that all you want?’ They nodded again and Morgana asked for the lady’s attention for paying. Buying the fabric and the ribbons had been easy, seeing as they now had enough money to buy it all, the woman was actually surprised that they could afford all the produce they were buying and was even more so when Morgana gave her extra to help her support her family. They left the stall feeling happy and overall pleased with their supplies, the girls gushing to each other about their ribbons and already picking some to tie into their hair on the way back home.

They found Gwaine, Nathaniel and the boys near a man grinding Gwaine’s sword and some of his knives. The boys perked up when seeing the girls, having been looking a bit bored and Gwaine’s smile turned more genuine on seeing Merlin. ‘Did you get everything you needed?’ Nathaniel asked them, taking hold of Morgana around her waist, ‘Yes, we found everything. What about you guys? Were you able to get the herbs and spices that we wanted?’ Gwaine nodded, ‘Yeah the boys are carrying them in their bags, gave them something to carry to feel useful. Hand your things over, I can carry those.’ He took the offered packages of fabric from Merlin's hands, holding them in one arm while reaching to take hold of her hand with his free hand. ‘I’m just getting my sword and knives sharpened and then we can go and pick up the grain and get out of here.’ With that in plan, the four adults talked while the teenagers messed around, the boys attempting to tie the girls’ new ribbons into their hair and it not working very well, but they were laughing and having fun so it was nice to see and hear. After Gwaine collected his sword and had re-sheathed all his knives, they all made their way over to the stall for grain, and hopefully it would be done so that they could leave straight away.

The man was still giving them weary looks, looking from them and the teenagers, but Gwaine was once again giving him that stern, half-glaring look from before, putting the children behind himself and Merlin. The grain was thankfully bagged up, two big bags at the side of the table with their price tag on, which Nathaniel quickly paid, the three boys helping to pick up the smaller one, while Nathaniel and Gwaine took the larger one between them, Gwaine handing Merlin back her fabrics. After that, they just had to go, trying to manoeuvre through many people until they were out enough that they could leave the village. Merlin stayed at the back of the group, looking behind her ever so often to check that no one was watching them or following them back out. 

Having loaded the bags of grain and rolls of fabric onto the cart, letting the girls take a seat as well, they made their way back into the forest and back towards home. The journey really wasn’t very long at all, they did stop to pick some apples from a tree they found, munching on those as they carried on going, even giving a small one to the pony to eat. They arrived back at the cave halfway through the afternoon, all fairly hungry and an equally tired pony. Sorting out the wares had been easy enough, the grain went to the food storage, the fabric was made larger and some of the colours were altered before being taken by some of the ladies and the herb and spices also went to the kitchen. They had all been left with a meal, a portion of bread, cut up fruit and berries, cured pork strips and a small block of cheese. Sitting round one of the tables in the dining area, they all ate, talking to some of the older women who gave them their meals and Morgana, once done with her plate, helped Robyn tie one of her ribbons into her hair, while Merlin did the same with Lydia, though hers likely wasn’t the prettiest and most well done. Lydia and Robyn seemed pleased though and after they were allowed to leave, ran off excitedly to go and speak to some of the other girls to show them. 

Merlin’s mood soured slightly after that, her mind going back to the small pile of letters on top of her dresser and their contents, whether it would be good and kind or unforgiving. Even though both the letters writer’s had known about Merlin’s magic and they had accepted her, she really wasn’t sure about what they’d be thinking now. Her uncle and father figure, would have facts and enquiries whereas Lancelot her friend would more likely have personal well wishes for her and Gwaine but it was frustrating that she couldn’t figure out what they would have written, ‘Love? Are you alright?’ Gwaine's arm was around her waist and the three adults at the table were looking at her in worry, ‘Yes sorry, zoned out for a minute, I’m fine but a bit tired and I was thinking over the letters. I think it was time I go and read them or I’ll be worrying the rest of the evening won’t I.’ There was a look of understanding that passed over everyone, and so Merlin was able to slip away with a smile, a kiss for Gwaine-accompanied by sparkles, and a hug for Morgana. Once back home, she removed her boots, her coat and pulled the pin from her hair, soothing her scalp with her fingers from the tight bun it had previously been subjected to. She put her bag on the table and in passing grabbed the letters from the dresser as she went over to their large, cushioned chair climbing onto it and tucking her feet beneath her, gathering her skirts over her cold toes.

She’d worn the skirt for convenience today and was glad of it now, even if their home wasn’t too cold, the stone on the floor made for very cold toes. Two letters, one larger, one smaller both delivered mid morning by a buzzard flying through their door, surprising her from where she was fixing her hair up. The first larger one was from Gaius, his small neat handwriting across three pages of parchment, and taking a deep breath, Merlin began to read, 

> ‘Merlin, I pray that this letter finds you in good health and safety. I was encouraged when your letter arrived just over a week ago, but since my duties have been so great in Camelot I haven’t been able to write back until now. The first thing to be said at this time is that I did send word to your mother after you left Camelot and have told her all that happened that day, she is in good health and is managing well however her sorrows may be great. Your mother is strong and knows that when the time is right you will come to see her, but only when it is right and not before. Camelot is still standing and is still running, although a change in staff for the King has taken place multiple times over the last month and more. The Queen, from what I have heard and understand, was most upset to hear of the decision made that morning and since that day, the Queen segregated herself to another sleeping quarters and it stayed that way for over a week until all resumed to normal.’ 

Merlin was surprised, Gwen and Arthur not sleeping together, even when they were married. Merlin hadn’t thought that Gwen would have been upset with the decision yet from the simple thing Gaius was saying she was wrong and it made her somewhat relieved that Gwen didn’t appear to hate her. From that point on Gaius began talking of changes to the castle, changes to the guard, the extra training and briefly on the rest of the knights. Most of what he said was light-hearted, trying to take away from the fact that Merlin was no longer with her uncle until the last piece of parchment. 

> ‘Merlin I will not lie to you at this time. It has been just over a month since you left and there has been some change in the royal plans involving you, there is no easy way to say this, but the King had begun sending out patrols and forces to try and locate you and Sir Gwaine. Sadly I have not been given reasoning for this occurrence and so cannot put your mind at rest. All I have knowledge of is that the King himself has been going out regularly with the Knights to search throughout Camelot and it’s bordering villages. While this news may be alarming and unsettling, do not make any rash decisions at this time, I will try and find some more information about the plans and send another letter to you, however, I’m sure that Sir Lancelot will have more of an idea than me…’ 

Merlin never bothered reading the rest of Gaius’s letter, pulling the wax sealing from Lancelot’s letter to begin reading, her heart going a mile a minute in anxiety.

> ‘Merlin, my friend, I pray with everything I have that these letters find you and Gwaine well and safe. This last month has been difficult without the both of you here in Camelot, I will say that we, the knights have not taken your departures well, including Sir Leon who is very much loyal to the King, he has been far more reserved and formal with the King. I cannot lie and try to say that I don’t care, for I have never been angrier I wager, I despise the man for his actions and can barely stand being in the bastard's presence for longer than need be. I know you will want to scold me for those words but they are true, my friend, and I am not going to change my mind on those ideas, however I am still loyal and will protect the man that he will become to help you as you cannot be here. The Queen, Guinevere, was most distressed when she was told of the events of that morning, she scolded the King for a long time and refused to be seen with him for over a week intimately, only interacting with him on a royal level of duty. Elyan has seen the most of her and said that she cries, at times when she thinks no one is watching, none of the servants or him and he accompanied her when she scolded the King, staying outside and heard her say that she didn’t care if you had magic. You were her friend and that was enough, and that magic had helped her over the years, had helped the King’s knights so I hope you didn’t doubt the Queen’s support of you, being one of her closest friends ever since she was still a servant.’

Merlin’s eyes welled up with tears, partly due to knowing that her friends didn’t hate her but also still from the fear that she knew was the King attempting to find her, so she read on.

> ‘Merlin, I was intending this letter for you to go towards another happier place and direction, however, I must warn you and say that the King is trying to find you and Gwaine. We’ve been told only a little of his plans, we know that he wants to question you, for what we don’t know exactly but the amount of effort being put into this search is staggering even for us. A search goes on every few days, vast and wide throughout Camelot, asking at every town, village, guard post. The King is seriously trying to find you and I don’t know whether to tell you to keep hiding and staying where you are or to keep moving and get even further away from him. He keeps trying to tell us that it isn’t for anything wrong, yet the way he treated you when he asked you to leave, I have no more trust in him so I truly do not know how you should approach this. So far he hasn’t found any traces of the two of you, Gwaine being a skilled tracker must have helped some with keeping reasonably hidden while travelling and truthfully I hope it stays that way, but overall the decision is yours to make, yours and Gwaine’s and I will wait to hear from you again soon. I truly miss you both, my closest friends and I want to apologise for not saying anything when you were banished, I was too in shock and by that point I thought you’d be better off having someone in Camelot, near the King to help keep an eye on things. Again I apologise yet wish you well and wish you luck. Take good care of each other, I’m sure you will but just to be sure.
> 
> You’re loyal friend,   
> Lancelot. 

She could feel her breath catching in her throat, tears streaming down her face and she could feel her body shaking, the letters trembling in her hands. All she could think in her head was the worst case scenario and fear, he was looking for them, he was looking for her. Why was he looking for her? She’d done what he said she’d left, she wasn’t disobeying him, so why was he trying to find her. He had no reason to. As she was so lost in her thoughts, Merlin never noticed Gwaine entering their home and making his way over to her; she shocked slightly as he lifted her body and sat down bringing her to sit sideways over his lap, tucked into his side, her head resting in the crook of his neck. He didn’t speak, just let her cry and gave her a chance to let it all out before speaking to her, just running a hand softly over her back and over the base of her neck, lightly massaging the area. While it took awhile for her to calm down, Gwaine never tried forcing her to talk, he was content to let her do it on her own terms, something he’d learnt over the last month and more.

Her crying eventually became small sniffles and Merlin brought a hand up to her face to wipe her eyes before sinking back into Gwaine’s embrace. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cry all over you.’ Her voice was a little hoarse from crying, ‘That’s not something you have to apologise for Merls, as much as it pains me to see, I'd rather you cry than bottle it all in.’ He manoeuvred them so that he could see Merlin’s face better, ‘What’s got you so upset? Were they not kind to you?’ Merlin shook her head wildly, ‘No, no they were kind and showed sadness for us leaving but…’ She started getting worked up again, ‘Goddess, Gwaine! The King is trying to find us, he’s trying to find me!’ Gwaine’s eyes widened and his embrace on Merlin grew tighter, even as he snatched up the letter Merlin had discarded beside her, scanning his eyes over the words quickly and quietly. His frown grew deeper the more he read, an anger he tried to keep down. ‘That bastard, he can’t just leave you alone can he. Treats you like dirt half the time you were working for him and then threatens you into leaving and now he wants you to come back. If I ever get my hands on him, Camelot’s going to wish they have a new King. Don't try and change my mind Merlin, I love you so much and he’s hurt you one too many times. I hate the King of Camelot and that’s not going to change.’ Merlin had gone to interject but seeing the look of determination and pure hatred on Gwaine’s face made her stop short.

‘I don’t want to see you hurt, I know I’ve said that a lot and the first time I did you got hurt, but truly Merlin... seeing you hurt is one of the worst things I could experience and I don’t want you being hurt by that selfish prat ever again. You’re too precious to me.’ She smiled at him, through tear blurred eyes, leaning up just a couple of inches to kiss him, ‘I love you too my rogue knight and however much I don’t want you hurting him, for he is meant to be the destiny of magic, I really wouldn’t mind if you knocked him around a bit. He probably deserves it.’ Gwaine snorted, ‘Definitely deserves it.’ Merlin chuckled, ‘But at the same time, even if we were to go back and see why he wants to talk to me... I am absolutely terrified of him. I know I haven’t really spoken much about it since we’ve been here, but I have never been as afraid of him as in that moment. Even when I was working under him and Uther, I never felt that I was ever in danger while around him, he was my Prince, then became my King and I knew he was a good person, even with the upbringing that had determined his mind on magic, I never felt afraid of him. Every time I would do magic without him knowing, right behind his back, I never felt scared and yet in a few words from him- I have never been so frightened and I froze. I couldn't speak or walk properly as you know and all I could feel when I envisioned him, it was like a surge of fear that I felt, something I never want to experience ever again. It hurts now-thinking of him, because I’m frightened and I never thought I would be frightened of him.’ She had to breath through a bout of tears, Gwaine’s hand wiping tears from her heated cheeks,

‘I now know that I don’t want to see him again, I really don’t and while I may still attempt to protect him and keep him alive and safe, I don't want to see him. I don't want to go back either. You and me, we’ve got a good thing here haven’t we? I’m surrounded by my kin, my people, I’ve got my royal sister and I’ve got you- my loving, protective, roguish knight. I don't want to go back, this is my home now, our home, we created it and we owe the druids and Morgana so much and I like it here because I feel safe and I’ve never felt this safe before.’ Gwaine hummed, pressing kisses to Merlin’s forehead, ‘I think we’re good here and I won’t lie, I’m really glad that you don’t want to go back. While it’s different from Camelot, I think this place suits us both so much more and I personally love seeing you so free and so calm. You being scared is not something I want to see ever again, so I agree, what we have here is good for us and I want to stay too, I don't ever want to go back and as long as you’re happy, so am I. You’re my world Merlin and you are an amazement and I love you so much.’ He leant down and kissed her, something so intimate yet chaste, neither of them having a reason for it to be anything more than comforting. Once broken apart, they continued to look at each other, just holding one another and sharing space. They didn’t know for how long it was, but soon enough they both drifted into sleep, Merlin from emotional exhaustion and Gwaine just followed, both cuddled together on their chair.

Morgana glanced up to Merlin and Gwaine’s home, having not seen either of them since after their meal when they came back from the market. It was the evening meal and everyone was out and eating except them, she was getting concerned so standing up, made her way up to their home to check on them. The closer she got the more of Merlin’s magic she could sense, it was calm yet at some point had been protective and more prominent, which made her even more concerned yet as she arrived at their door, she saw something that made her smile. The two of them settled onto their chair, cuddled together fast asleep with Gwaine’s arms wrapped around her protectively and Merlin tucked close into his chest. Morgana didn’t want to disturb them so she quietly made her way back down to the kitchen and into two bowls, added a small pile of cooked beans, some greens, as well as some pieces of chicken and two small rolls of bread on the side. She put that on a tray along with two cups of light ale and spoons and using her magic, sent those up to their home before returning to Nathaniel to continue eating her forgotten meal. 

Merlin awoke late, their room was dark, so it must have become night yet she had no real need to move, she was comfortable. Gwaine’s body giving off warmth and something soft to lean against, his arms supporting her back and side. Casting the torches to burn only a small flame, she looked around the room, smelling something good and her eyes landed on a tray sitting on their table, two bowls, cups and spoons and food steaming away. Merlin smiled knowing who that must have been, yet at that moment she wasn’t hungry and was very content to wait for Gwaine to wake up before eating, so she extinguished the torches again and snuggled back into Gwaine, pleased when his arms subconsciously tightened around her and as she went back to sleep, sent a message in her mind, ‘Thank you Morgana.’ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It took a bit longer than I thought but I managed to get to a place I was happy with and I hope you all enjoy x


	9. Found my place with happiness!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shorter chapter this week, I didn't really know where I was going to go with it so I decided to end it where it was an begin anew on another chapter.  
> I hope you enjoy it still :)

Months had passed since Merlin and Gwaine had first arrived at the Druids camp and they were now into the heat of summer. The cooling river running through the cave helped to keep the temperature inside just right and was welcome for swimming for the younger adults and the children. Merlin herself had indulged in the water along with Morgana, the two women finding a small ledge to sit on while they watched the children to make sure nothing happened. Being around Morgana was one of the better things to come about leaving Camelot, they’d been separated for a few years and neither had really had a way of sending letters to each other, so they weren’t able to speak. Being together also gave Merlin a sense of security, she had her close friend, sister, fellow witch with her and she was able to freely use her magic whenever she wanted- the best thing from the situation. Her nightmares had also finally stopped, although she couldn’t be sure for how long. They’d come back after the letters from Gaius and Lancelot, waking up in the middle of the night crying as Gwaine held her close. The nightmares were nearly always the same as the first nightmare she had after leaving Camelot but sometimes it was different, they still frightened her though and that was something that took a long time to deal with. Gwaine was patient with her, probably very tired from being up late holding Merlin but he never complained and he was always there when she needed him to be and that was all she could ask for from him, they were also very happy together something beautiful that has sprouted from a bad situation and neither of them could be happier.

Merlin and Morgana were also now helping with the older children and teenagers with their magic, seeing as they were the most powerful members of the camp and their magic was instinctive adding that with their tutoring from Iseldir, they were more than qualified to begin teaching the young druids. They spent most of their time outside the cave doing their lessons, choosing a clearing close by that Morgana had created especially for these lessons, showing them how to do the more difficult things, like the teleportation spell and spells for use of the trees and nature. They also taught a few of them more defensive spells, just in case they ever needed to protect themselves or someone around them.

The defensive spell they were taught was a shielding spell, which when said would encase the speaker and anyone around them or touching them in a magic barrier, near impenetrable but it took some energy to do and in the young druids there was less risk of them having to use it but it was precautionary. If worse came to worst, Merlin and Morgana would be able to deal with it, their magic being instinctively linked to the Earth and far stronger in their shields that they didn’t even need to be close to the person they were shielding and it would not falter through any attack. Druids in their nature weren’t violent people, never had been and had no plans of being, so while many of the older druids felt no need for defensive skills, there were chances that at some point in their lives they'd have to defend themselves so it was better that they knew what to do than not know and the younger druids would be the best for that defence, if they needed it. Iseldir and Cerdan had given Merlin and Morgana permission to show the children, as they also knew defensive skills and having more people able to protect them would be a blessing for the druids.

During these lessons, Merlin had also created a strong bond with one of the boys who had accompanied them to the trading village- Saxon, he was a strong Druid for his age and he already had a good sense of control in comparison to some of the others. Saxon paid attention and studied the spells given to him even when they weren’t in lessons, as long as they were safe to do unaccompanied and over the months had become something like a little brother to Merlin. He had come to the druids at the young age of four, after showing signs of magic in a small village that was from a Kingdom sharing the same views on magic as Camelot did, their King being a close friend of Uther’s when he had still been King; Saxon’s parents were frightened of him being discovered and so brought him to Cerdan through a couple helping to smuggle magical children out of the Kingdom and he’d been with them ever since.

Gwaine has also found his place in the druids, at first admitting to feeling worried that none of the druids would trust him for being a knight but through time the camp had become the same support for him as they were for Merlin. He now spent time throughout the day either helping with the hunting, the vegetable patch outside the cave or helping to create and carve furniture from large pieces of wood. Much of the furniture he’d been making was for the new mothers of the camp, making cots and rocking chairs for nursing; it had kept him busy for a long time and he’d been grateful for something to do while Merlin was teaching. Cade and Gwaine would spend a lot of time hunting too, bringing back big catches whenever they found something larger, they’d made a bit of a competition out of it, Cade would use his magic for the catch while Gwaine would use his non magic, man made ways for the catch and so far they were even in ability but still keeping it competition to everyone’s amusement. Their days had become routine and it was working for them. Merlin and Gwaine were used to routine so it was far easier to adjust to everything that was new for them and they enjoyed it. 

Merlin also found that she was rarely thinking of Camelot anymore. She no longer had reason to, being as happy and free as she finally felt there was nothing to tie her there apart from the letters she sent and received from Lancelot and Gaius. Lancelot had revealed in one of his letters that Percival had told him one day that he’d guessed that Merlin was magic, seeing as many unexplainable things happened when Merlin was around and he’d been raised partially by druids and knew what signs to look for in magic. His quiet nature and vigilance may have also taken into account his discovery of Merlin's magic. It had surprised Merlin, however she wasn’t angry that he had known, just annoyed that he’d never thought to speak with her-not that she would have known how she would have reacted, but Sir Percival had been a great friend to Merlin and especially Gwaine. Percival and Gwaine had a friendship similar to Merlin and Lancelot, it was just natural and in a pure form, something that they’d found after only a short while of knowing each other.

When she’d shown Gwaine Lancelot’s letter, he’d laughed and beamed in happiness and surprise saying, ‘Percy never ceases to surprise does he?’ Merlin smiled back, ‘No, that quiet soul knows a lot more than we think doesn’t he.’ They’d both written back this time, Merlin to assure Lance that she wasn’t upset about it and she also included a small short letter for Percival, as did Gwaine which she asked Lance to give to him in private and to let him know that he could write to them as well. She knew that Gwaine missed his friends in the knights even though he tried not to show it but the times where she’d seen him sneaking off outside to practice with his sword, she knew that he missed the training and the camaraderie that came from being a knight, so if his closest friend could write to him even once ever so often it would be a good thing for Gwaine. It was also rare now that Merlin thought of the King, being as secure as she was, thinking of him only brought her pain and sadness and fear which was something she never wanted to experience; she was better than him and stronger than him in many ways which was enough for her and she wasn’t likely to have to see him anytime soon and unless the situation was dire, she was never going to back to Camelot, especially since she knew the King was searching for her. Merlin would only try and protect him from afar and that was all she would do, nothing more, nothing less.

Meetings with Kilgharrah had become routine, seeing how they had enough clear space around the cave for the massive Dragon to land comfortably, and over the months of peace and rest, the relationship between them was less strained and it was steadily improving; he was also more open to being around Morgana without spouting judgement and ‘prophecy’ towards her. The meetings also included Aithusa, who came to the cave more frequently than the older Dragon, she enjoyed being around her Dragon ‘Lord’ and she would spend days at a time around the cave, before from wherever he was, Kilgharrah would call her back to him. The young Dragon had grown a lot in the last few months but that was to be expected of her, seeing as she would have many decades worth of growth left in her before she became full grown to Kilgharrah’s size and he was a great size even for a Dragon.

The druid’s had also grown used to seeing the Dragons around, the children often being found asleep against Aithusa’s warm sides late in the evening when the warmth of the day dropped before their mother came to take them to bed. Merlin had created a space for her, close to her home pod, large enough for her as she grew for now, but there would be a point where her Dragon would have to sleep outside for a while once she was too big, just until Merlin figured out a way of making the cave secure enough to support her growth. Merlin liked watching her Dragon at night before she went to sleep, watching as Aithusa would spin in a circle blasting out a stream of fire before settling down to sleep, tucking her legs down and waiting for Merlin to come and speak to her; that was something else which had happened over the last few months, Merlin and Aithusa’s connection had manifested into speech finally, apart from the fact that it was all in their minds from Aithusa, so for a little while every night, Merlin would spend it talking to her until she began to fall asleep before heading back into her pod and back to Gwaine who, without a doubt, would be waiting for her to come back.

Aithusa had also taken a fair liking to Gwaine, since she knew that Gwaine was someone special to Merlin, she had taken to following him everywhere, even if it wasn’t very appropriate for her to do so because of her size but it was funny watching the juvenile Dragon whining when she couldn’t go into the space he was in due to her size and Merlin loved watching it. While Gwaine was still a bit wary about her claws and teeth, he was fairly confident that she wouldn’t ever try to hurt him and also enjoyed many a time of playing around with the Dragon outside the cave, letting her tackle him gently to the ground- something they’d been teaching her since she’d bulldozed Nathaniel too hard one day while excited, now that she knew about the vulnerabilities of the human body, she was far easier to play with. 

‘Busy day hmm?’ Merlin nodded sleepily, a yawn escaping from her. Gwaine was sitting on their bed- having pushed their beds together a couple of months ago. He had a book in hand, Merlin’s spell book to be exact, the large leather book open near the middle. ‘Yeah a busy day, barely had time for myself.’ She moved around the room, undoing her hair and plaiting it messily fedora going into the bathroom and washing up and changing into her nightgown settling onto her own portion of their makeshift bed, she sat up beside him and leant against his shoulder. ‘What’s got you so interested in my book then Sir? Something you want me to try out?’ He smiled at her but shook his head, ‘No, I don't want you to do anything. I was just wondering whether or not I’d be able to read it but I discovered that in reality I can’t understand a word that is written in here, however pretty the writing may look. Now I’m just looking at the drawings beside them.’ He got a chuckle from her as she poked at what page he was on, ironically, a rum creating spell; it would let you make rum from straight water, which gave Merlin an idea, summoning a goblet of water from the table to herald turning the page to face her more.

At Gwaine’s inquisitive eyebrow, she gave him a quick grim before saying the spell quietly focusing on the goblet of water as her eyes flashed and it transformed in colour and smell. Handing it to Gwaine, she urged him to take a sip which he did with very little hesitance, bringing the goblet away with a smile on his face, ‘You are an amazement Merlin and you know I was wondering whether or not there were ways of creating alcohol from water but just never asked. How come you never did that before?’ She shrugged, untangling a knot from the base of her plait, ‘I just never really thought about it if I’m honest, plus most of the time I wasn't even thinking about it, probably trying to find a spell which would help with Arth- the King. I’d rarely ever used my Magic in Camelot for anything other than helping him and just never spent much time looking through the book, I never had time.’ She laid down pulling her blanket up to her shoulders, snuggling down against her pillow still watching Gwaine as he drank the rest of his rum and flipped over a few other pages of her book. ‘I wish I could show you how to do some of it, but I know you can’t. Having you do it would be the best feeling in the world.’

Gwaine smiled at her sadly, stroking a hand over her cheek, setting the book down on his small bedside table, and settling down on his side facing her. ‘It would be an experience to be able to do magic even if it was just for a day, hell even for an hour at most would be amazing. I would love to be able to share that with you Merlin but alas, I am a normal human and you my love, are Emrys, the powerful witch from legend foretold, and I cannot share that with you. However, I can support you through it all, I want too and I will for as long as you let me. I love you Merlin and I don’t need the magic to share something special with you. I have you by my side and that’s the best thing I have in life.’ He took a hold of her hand, stroking her knuckles with his thumb as he looked into her eyes, trying to show her all his emotions. She leant over pressing a kiss to his lips, ‘I want you for as long as I can have you, I love you too and I’m also glad that we can share something special. I love you Sir Gwaine and I will for a long time.’ There was a look on Gwaine’s face that Merlin could only describe as overwhelming love blanketing her and keeping her warmer than any blanket, cloak, robe or furs ever could. She was in love and it was the best thing in her world.


	10. A Queen knows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter- sorry it took so long, I've been quite busy so I haven't had much time to write atm  
> Hope you enjoy!!!! :) ;)

Camelot was quiet, and had been for months. In one way that was a good thing, no trouble anywhere in the kingdom, no visiting nobility things like those but it was still too quiet around the castle. Arthur was still sending knights out to search for Merlin and Gwaine but it had become something troublesome, his knights were going in circles and there was all the possibilities that they had moved to another kingdom, so after time, the searches became less and the duties of the knights and guards returned to normal. It was disappointing, for all the Castle staff and the knights but they had no control over what would happen with the situation. The King had stopped speaking so much of it, however if you were to look at him closely, you would see the disappointment on his face. The Queen was more clear to read, and you could see the emotion on her face when she returned from Gaius’s quarters after an evening with him; she’d taken to visiting him a few times a week to have a meal with him and help with some of his medicines and preparation.

It wasn’t because she thought he was lonely, no, seeing how Noah had been given Merlin’s empty room, Gaius always had some company but Gwen could see that Merlin’s banishment was taking more out of him than he would ever admit to anyone. The old man had tried many times to persuade Gwen from helping him, his excuse being that she was the Queen of Camelot and no longer a servant but she was able to counter that, effectively stopping him from trying, ‘I may be the Queen Gaius, but I will always be a servant to Camelot and her people, including you and I know my way around your herbs and medicines. It’s my choice Gaius, let me help you, I can be of great use and it’s not like I have much to do at the moment is it.’ Gaius had looked at her fondly before resigning to his Queen’s request and began giving her the smallest tasks for him over the span of a few days at first. He also began teaching her some of his knowledge and pieces of information which could come in useful at any given point. How to dress a wound properly, which herbs for which ailment and how to distinguish common poisonous plants and while Gwen knew a fair amount of this already, having extra pieces of information were sure to be helpful to her. 

Gwen had also kept some of her heightened awareness from her days as a servant and so had noticed when Lancelot and Percival drew closer together, standing in corners and talking quietly between them. She’d also noticed that they’d spend time in Gaius’s quarters when they had no training yet once she’d enter the room they’d cease talking as they were and the conversation would change to something else or the two knights would make excuses to leave the room. On a couple of occasions she’d also noticed Percival handing off letters to Lancelot before or after the evening meal which would also translate to Gaius too, the quiet knight often handing him letters as well. She had an idea of what was happening between the three men, hoping that it was what she was thinking it was- them sending letters to Merlin and Gwaine; she had trust in them, knowing that they wouldn’t be attempting anything dangerous and so felt no need to tell Arthur of her findings. However, that didn’t stop her from finding a way to speak with them and one of the perks of being Queen was that she needed no excuse to talk to the knights- she requested their presence and they had no way of refusing, so she used it to her advantage. Arthur had a meeting with the counsel to discuss some of the plans for this year's harvest, so knowing he’d be occupied for most of the day she asked her maid to call the two knights to Morgana’s old quarters, taking place at her table while she waited, also requesting some refreshments for them to have while they spoke. 

The knights arrived after about fifteen minutes, dressed down in their tunics with no armour but still had their swords strapped to their belts. ‘You requested our presence, your majesty?’ Both of them bowing their heads in respect, yet looking a bit confused to be summoned. Gwen nodded, motioning for them to take a seat with her at the table. ‘Yes I have been wanting to speak with you both over the last couple of days, Gaius too but I thought I wouldn’t bother him even more than I probably do.’ There was a knock on the door and another servant brought in a tray with a pot of tea, cups and a small plate of fruit biscuits which were placed on the table before Gwen sent the boy away with orders to not be disturbed unless urgent enough. ‘I’ve been wanting to speak with you about something I’ve noticed over the last couple of months. You both seem occupied with Gaius and those letters you’ve been giving to each other to send to Merlin and Gwaine perhaps?’ The two men froze, looking at the Queen with a shocked face, even as she casually sipped on her cup of tea. She had to hold back a laugh behind her cup, the two knights must have thought that they were being sneaky but her revelation had shocked them. 

Lancelot spluttered, looking at the larger knight in shock before turning back to the Queen. ’Your Majesty, I don’t know… I don’t know what to say but I assure you that we haven’t been trying to do anything that could threaten Camelot- we wouldn’t.’ He pleaded with her trying to make her see even just _something_ in their point of view without implicating Gaius anymore than they knew he was involved. Gwen smiled at them both reassuringly, ‘Please don’t worry, I’m not angry and I’m not going to say anything to Arthur, he’d overreact and I don’t want him going back onto the subject so quickly. I’m just pleased that the two of them have support; I understand that you probably let Merlin know that Arthur was looking for them and I think it is certainly for the best at this time.’ Percival nodded, the knight speaking for the first time, ‘Yes your Majesty, they were told of the King’s plans, Sir Lancelot wrote a letter to them and she replied that they would continue to stay away, not wanting to come back to Camelot- she doesn’t think she ever will. And excuse my saying so your Majesty, but in a letter most recently, she briefly mentioned their reasoning for staying away more than the obvious, that she felt...frightened of the King and didn’t want to see him.’

Gwen looked sad at that but schooled her expressions, ‘I can’t say I blame her. Arthur said some quite disgusting things to her and acted like I have never known him, I was ashamed of him for that and I still am. Merlin deserves to feel free and safe and although I am sad that she is gone, I’d rather her be gone and alive than here. Not that I don’t trust my husband, but I wouldn’t want Merlin or Gwaine to relive what happened that day.’ The two knights sunk minutely in their seats as Gwen carried on speaking, ‘I will not ask you to tell me what you have written to her, nor what else she has said to you; for if Arthur were to ever find out, I do not want him thinking I have been keeping secrets and information from him, but I will warn you now, that you must be more careful with how you conduct yourselves- as a former servant I know what to look at when no one else is and over time I’m sure that others will begin to see your secrecy and at that point who knows if Arthur will be lenient if informed. I trust you and I trust you will both let Gaius know of our talk so he knows.’ They nodded, each taking a biscuit when Gwen motioned them towards it as she poured them both a cup of tea, ‘Now that that’s out of the way… how’s training going?’ 

‘Noooahhhh, where have you put my belt? I had it out last night!’ Arthur called, staring round his room in annoyance. ‘It’s on top of the dresser your majesty, where it normally is! I said so earlier when helping you dress before tending to your armour.’ Noah said popping his head round the door to the chambers, a heavy armful of armour clutched to his body. Arthur sneered lightly, ‘N _o_ it's not! I just looked and it’s definitely not…’ He froze, looking at the dresser next to the wardrobe, where on top sat his nicely polished belt. ‘...there.’ He looked towards his manservant, desperately trying not to laugh, ‘Not a word, you hear me.’ Shaking his finger at the man with a glare on his face, ‘Of course not your majesty, wasn’t planning on it your majesty.’ Noah said, voice straining in an attempt not to laugh, his arms shaking around the armour. Arthur turned away a small smile appearing on his face as Noah left to take his armour back down to the armoury. He’d grown more confident since being in Arthur’s employment, no longer completely perfect in manners, often enjoying a laugh at Arthur’s expense yet he was still respectful and the knights had taken a liking to him, though not as closely as they had with Merlin. Arthur could understand that though, one woman among a large number of men, for long periods of time, at the King’s right hand, who also happened to be the knights very good friend, who very often felt protective of her even if she really didn’t need it; She hadn’t then and she no longer did- well she never really did need protection after all being able to perform magic to protect her.

The thought had him frowning slightly, thoughts of Merlin lessened over time but thinking of her still brought up many questions and angry feelings even if he would no longer act on the anger. _Had she always been using magic? Had she ever tried hurting them? Had she been helping Camelot? Was she responsible for his father dying_ \- He quickly dashed that thought, however much she may have hated his father (which he knew she did), Merlin barely liked killing animals, let alone the King of Camelot. Thinking back on his duties for the day, he quickly buckled his belt around his waist and attached his sword to it before leaving the room, heading towards the training field for a longer session with the men. Most of them were already training by that point, sparing together and working on conditioning with a sword, while the Knights Arthur would be training with specifically, stood to one side watching the others and talking between themselves. Arthur had some internal pride at how good his knights were, they were sources of strength and power, able to handle nearly all situations they faced; they trained well and worked to a level that his castle Knights weren’t at, another reason he was so glad of them being his Knights Of The Round Table.

They no longer needed to work for as long, seeing as their training and the constant travels had them constantly renewing their skills, so these sessions of training were mainly for the other Knights’ training- to watch and learn from the best Camelot had, along with the King himself. ‘Right I want everyone at their best today, so I expect you to all work hard and don’t be afraid to push them as much as you need, they’ll have to learn the ropes sooner or later and I don’t want anyone falling behind, not even the Knights’ who’ve been with us for longer than a year. Make sure they learn.’ The Knights nodded, grins on their faces at the prospect of being able to boss the rookies around a bit, Percival taking on this half predatory look on his face as he made his way over to the bulkiest of them, though next to him, you’d never know they were. Being the quietest Knight meant that most of the time people underestimated him, even if his size and mass outsized everyone, many of the older Knights from when Percival had first joined as a Knight thought he was just a pushover and believed his skills weren’t up to the standard of a trained knight; the shock on many of their faces when he’d beaten some of the best of them with little effort was priceless and Arthur had had to have so much control to keep his laughter in.

Percival, while quiet, took his strengths not only in size but in his ability to watch his opponents in a way that even Arthur never could, the giant seemed to know what direction bandits or other knights would be going in before they even made the move, yes Arthur was quick and so were the other knights but it was something that Percival had, that and brute strength even without a sword to protect himself. Percival and Gwaine had worked so well together, the two knights had such a connection to their weapons and to each other that they were nearly always put together when on patrols or during training. Gwaine was one of the strongest swordsman Arthur had known, even with no real training of any kind Gwaine was able to keep up with full trained knights and head to head with Arthur a few times, he had stamina that could last far longer than most people and he was quick with his attacks and defence and had a confident skill with his weapons. Arthur felt bad now, watching Percival without his counterpart but the knight was still strong, one of his strongest and Arthur was glad to have him as an ally rather than as an enemy, for Arthur didn’t think he’d seen Percival at his best even now.

Training continued on for most of the morning only stopping for lunch at midday before they carried on into the afternoon. The reason for this round of harsher training was because of a tournament which would be coming up in the next couple of weeks. Arthur wanted his Knights to have the best chances of winning their fights and he took pride in hosting the event also, having been awhile since he’d seen some of the neighbouring Kingdoms’ Kings and there was to be a grand banquet at the beginning and end to welcome and to congratulate the contestants at the end of the event. Arthur was aware that there were going to be monarchs who weren’t pleased with the outcome of the tournament and he’d have to enforce every bit of patience he had onto himself to avoid any trouble with them, wanting to avoid talks of war at all costs. He knew his Knights and people would behave but it was hard to say what would happen when the time actually came to be. Though for now, he was going to focus on his Knights and their training as well as making sure that all the preparations were underway along with finishing the talks about the year's harvest with his council.


	11. Looks like it's back to Camelot... pt.1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A longer chapter this time! Hope you enjoy! :)

‘Ladies, has anyone seen Merlin around?’ Gwaine had been walking round the cave for a little while trying to find Merlin but no one had been able to tell him where. He wanted to know whether she’d like to go with him and Aithusa for some play time for the young dragon but he hadn’t found her yet. He checked at the schooling room yet no one was there, the lessons having ended for the day and he’d asked Iseldir if he’d seen her but sadly he hadn’t seen her that day. His final bet at locating her came in the form of Morgana, sitting with Nathaniel by the water talking, the Princess looking so happy that Gwaine almost felt bad for interrupting them. ‘Princess, hey I was wondering whether you knew where Merlin was, I need to ask her something and I can’t find her?’ Morgana glanced around the cave, before her eyes flashed gold and she smiled for a moment, eyes turning blue once more, ‘Yes she’s up in Eliza and Burne’s room, been there for a while she said. You can go and find her in a minute, she’s just helping Eliza with some _private things_ , womanly things so it’s best you wait a while. I’ll let you know when you can go up.’ Gwaine nodded, looking up towards the room, before taking a seat beside Nathaniel, clapping a hand over his shoulder.

He spoke with the couple for a while before Morgana gave him the go ahead to go up to Eliza’s home, so he left the two of them walking across one of the bridges to the other side of the cave towards the home pods, passing other druids and a couple of the children, one little girl running to hide behind his legs to try and get away from the boy chasing her in a game of chase. He’d had to stand still as the two children ran around him again and again before Gwaine scooped the little girl up and held her above his head as he helped her escape from her follower, eventually putting her down by her mother who had beckoned them over; Now he was free to go and find his love, before her dragon became too bored waiting by the entrance of the cave. 

Eliza and Burne’s home was on the very top level of the houses, so it took a little while to get there but it wasn’t much effort. He could hear the two women talking, Merlin’s quiet laughter and the soft tone of Eliza’s voice talking of her husband Burne and some of his escapades as a young druid. The two women hadn’t noticed him yet as he leant against the door, watching as the two women moved around the home but he was more focused on looking at Merlin and the small bundle in her arms. Eliza had recently given birth to her fourth child, a daughter called Maya and Merlin had been helping her with some of the housework and other womanly things for her healing after the birth so Gwaine felt slightly stupid for not realising earlier that she would be up here. Merlin was currently holding the child, the baby wrapped snugly in a cloth and sleeping peacefully as she rocked her slowly; Gwaine couldn’t take his eyes off her, it looked so natural, so perfect the image of her holding a child and he couldn’t stop himself from thinking of what she’d look like carrying _their_ child, a thought that brought other, less than appropriate images to his mind, his face flushing a tiny amount. ‘Gwaine, what are you doing up here?’ Her voice brought him out of the images, but the real life sight of her holding the baby didn’t do much to help.

He coughed, clearing his throat.

‘I was just coming up to ask if you wanted to go and play with me and Aithusa, she’s getting restless, I think and wants you around.’ Merlin hummed, handing off the baby back to her mother with some shushing as the tiny bundle made some noises, before saying goodbye to Eliza and joining Gwaine outside the door. ‘It’s been awhile since I played with her, so it sounds nice to do so today, plus the weather outside is good.’ She took his hand as they walked down together, watching the rest of the cave bustling with life, all the teenagers practicing spells with Iseldir, the children running around playing while their mothers watched on and their fathers tended the vegetables and cleaned the hunts brought in that day. Merlin ran over to Aithusa when they were close enough, stroking her massive head and talking to her lovingly while Gwaine stood back and watched- this was the woman, the witch, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He wanted to stay in one place with this woman for as long as life wanted him and he wanted a family with her, something he’d never thought he’d ever have with anyone and yet here was this gorgeous, amazement of a woman changing his mind simply by holding onto a baby.

‘Are you coming Gwaine?’ Gwaine snapped out of his imagination and looked over to where Merlin was standing at the top of the ramp with Aithusa nudging her to get moving, looking at him, ‘Yeah I’m coming.’ Getting his head into gear wasn’t hard and soon enough the three of them were outside, the young dragon running around in circles chasing her tail just like a dog, ‘I swear if Kilgharrah saw her chasing her tail he’d have a fit!’ Merlin chuckled thinking it over, ‘he’d always told me that being a dragon is a very noble thing and dragon’s deserve respect yet it’s funny because now I can think of him just like her, chasing his tail and acting like a child.’ Gwaine chuckled along with her, ‘Do you know when she will begin to speak? Or if she even will?’ Merlin nodded, ‘She will speak, I know she will but it takes some time before they do. Dragon young aren’t like human children, they grow a lot faster than a child yet have a similar speaking time as babies, it’s only been a few years since she hatched so it could be this year or in a few more but for now she is able to communicate with me in my mind so that’s good enough.’

Most of their afternoon was spent outside with Aithusa, playing around, napping and flying. Gwaine’s first flying experience, they were lucky that the dragon was as big as she was now being able to finally start flying with her. Aithusa didn’t mind it in comparison to Kilgharrah who didn’t enjoy the sensation of being ridden, _~I’m not a horse, Merlin!~_ Gwaine had been very hesitant to climb onto the dragon, saying that it was bad enough having to stand beside one but sitting on top of one was something else, however, Merlin managed to convince him and so he’d sat behind her, holding onto her waist tight and letting out a small cry of surprise when the dragon actually took off from the ground, burrowing his head into Merlin’s back so he couldn’t see until Merlin was able to get him to look, at least once and once he was looking, he couldn’t turn his eyes away. Seeing their forest from the sky was incredible, flying towards the old camp and seeing the empty glade, seeing the different places they’d spent time in after leaving Camelot.

They also flew closer to Camelot, stopping just outside the border line, looking at the land and in the distance being able to see the outlining shape of the castle, standing proud. Merlin had turned the dragon around pretty quickly and they’d returned to their section of land, flying around aimlessly for the rest of the afternoon enjoying the feeling of being in the air, before returning to the cave for the evening meal with everyone else; Neither of them spoke of seeing Camelot, but neither felt they had too, there was no longing to go back for either of them so it was never brought up. There was a lot of dancing and wine and food that evening, so all worries went away as the two of them just enjoyed the time with friends and their family until nearly all of the camp were going to bed, bidding everyone goodbye, including Merlin and Gwaine who were both very tired from all the activities they’d done that day meaning that as soon as they were in their pushed together bed and had closed their eyes, they were soon asleep. 

Merlin had a sensitivity towards magic, always had with other magical things or people, and that sensitivity had only increased when she’d started staying with the druids, the constant feeling of comforting, calming magic around that she knew everyone’s magical signature, the feeling of everyone’s magic. So when she awoke in the middle of the night, to a feeling of very powerful, fitful, frightened magic, she knew who it was- climbing out of bed, waking Gwaine in the process, she ran from the room and along the cave towards a certain single pod, opening the door with a burst of magic as Morgana’s screaming could finally be heard, the princess thrashing in her bed.

Merlin ran to her side, forcing her own magic out to help calm the girl down, pulling her up into her arms as Gwaine arrived at the doorway with Nathaniel who had only just heard the screaming once her door was open. Morgana was shaking and had finally started to come round from her fitful sleep, only to burst into tears against Merlin’s shoulder, clutching at her back with shaking fingers. ‘Shhh Morgana, shh, you’re fine, it’s fine. You’re here in the cave with me and Gwaine and Nathaniel. It’s ok…’ Morgana began shaking her head wildly, ‘NO, no it’s not me that’s hurt. It’s Arthur, Arthur is in danger, he’s going to be in real danger!’ Merlin froze, glancing over at the two boys quickly before Nathaniel ran off to get Iseldir and Cerdan, Merlin prompting him in his mind as she currently didn’t want to leave Morgana. Gwaine went over to Morgana’s table and poured out a cup of water for her, bringing it over to the two women, helping Morgana to get a grip on it without it falling- her visions, her nightmares always taking her strength out of her; she drank steadily, yet at the same time she did accidentally spill some of it down her nightdress as her hands were still shaky from all the adrenaline. After drinking, she slumped against Merlin, head leaning against her collarbone as Merlin pet her hair softly.

‘I’m sorry Merlin...I know you didn’t want to have to go back and help him now.’ Merlin shushed her quickly, ‘It’s not your fault. You just feel it, you don’t cause it Morgana. If someone else decided to try and hurt the King then that’s on them, not you. I on the other hand will just have to get used to the idea that I cannot hide from my destiny forever. It was inevitable that something would happen again but I must admit I was hoping it wouldn’t be so soon.’ Nathaniel returned with Cerdan and Iseldir, Cerdan immediately moved over to Morgana and Merlin to look Morgana over, whispering spells under his breath and asking her questions as Nathaniel replaced Merlin sitting with her so that she could speak with Iseldir. ‘What is happening Merlin, my dear?’ the camp elder asked seriously, ‘Morgana has had another vision of the King being in serious danger and sometime soon and the threat seems very much real for her to be this troubled about a vision.’ The elder nodded, clearly taking in what had been said, ‘Had she said what happens in the vision?’ Merlin shook her head slowly then returned over to Morgana, ‘ ’Gana did you see where, or how he’s going to be in danger.’ The princess thought for a moment, closing her eyes briefly to recall what she’d seen, ‘It looks like a tournament of some kind, there are Lords and Ladies everywhere and knights too… but I never saw how or who it was endangering him. I just felt this awful feeling of danger surrounding it.’ Merlin nodded, looking back at Iseldir who had been listening silently.

‘I think it would be wise if you or Gwaine here sent word to our friends in Camelot to ask them of this and to give them warning, however much we can give them. It should be done immediately and sent straight away despite the time as there is going to be some things that Emrys is going to have to figure out in terms of how to avoid any tragedy.’ Gwaine said he’d send the letter, heading back to his and Merlin’s room to write to Percival his questions and his warnings, sparing a moment to quickly kiss Merlin on the cheek. It was late, the middle of the night and so there wouldn’t be much to discuss right now, other than what Morgana had already told them and she could do with reclaiming sleep so everyone left, minus Nathaniel who Morgana had requested stay with her and all headed back to their homes, bidding each other goodnight. A starling flew from their door as she reached it, carrying a single page letter in its feet as it flew from the cave as she watched it go a sigh of relief that the letter had been sent so quickly. Gwaine was waiting for her inside when she went in, sitting at their table, a pot of ink and quill laid out in front of him, he smiled softly at her, standing up and opening his arms as she entered his hold, winding arms around his back. ‘Are you alright Merlin?’ She hummed against his chest, ‘I don’t know what to think honestly, I’m ok but I hadn’t thought about going back anytime soon just like I told Morgana earlier. I think for now though, I just need to sleep and I can worry about it once the sun has risen. We had a long day yesterday so I can't really think right now, I’m so sleepy.’ Gwaine agreed with her, leading them back to their bed for the rest of the night. 

The next day came with some apprehension, Morgana was feeling very exhausted throughout the morning, barely able to get out of her bed, however with a bit of a magical boost from Merlin, she was able to meet with everyone in Iseldir and Cerdan’s home. A letter had arrived early in the morning from Percival, giving them all the news that there was to be a tournament in a few weeks and that it was going to be a very large event with Kingdom’s from all across Albion would be participating, including many of the Knights of Camelot as well as the King. He also wrote back his thanks for the warnings received, telling them that he’d spoken with Lancelot and they were going to inform Gaius of the news. That did allow for some relief around the room and once the letter had been read, it was time to begin the process of what to do in relation to Morgana’s vision. ‘My visions have been wrong before, I don’t have any way of knowing if they are correct or not and I don’t want anyone to have to go through something risky if I am wrong.’

Iseldir had taken her hand, ‘My dear, you are a witch and a seer- you’re visions are suggestive as well as being the truth, so if your magic finds reason to be warning, then it will show warnings but you can never say that it is wrong because what might change after the vision is then out of your control; and who says that anyone in this room will be doing something risky. We haven’t even begun to discuss anything just yet.’ Iseldir smiled at her warmly before turning to the rest of the room and more importantly Merlin. Merlin was sat with Gwaine at the table, quietly waiting until after Cerdan had read the letter to everyone, she heaved a sigh rubbing a hand over her eye in frustration. ‘Do you have any ideas Emrys, about how you want to handle this upcoming danger?’ She shook her head in reply to his question, ‘I don’t to be honest, I thought I had more time to prepare myself for upcoming danger to the King but I don’t have a clue what I’m supposed to do right now. If I could I’d just forget about it all but after all this, he is my Destiny and he’s Morgana’s brother so I can’t not help. I will have to find a way of helping him without alerting him of my presence but I don’t know a way of accomplishing that.’ Nathaniel had a thoughtful look on his face, looking steadily at Merlin from across the room, before he voiced an opinion,

‘What if you didn’t look like you? What if you cloaked your true appearance to that of someone completely different? No one would recognise you and you’d be invisible in a crowd of people, especially if everyone is looking at a tournament match taking place!’ He sounded confident in the idea, looking almost insistent on the idea. Iseldir hummed turning to his partner in silent conversation for a few moments, ‘It would be a good idea, as long as there was confidence in the glamour of her person. There can be no mishaps with this kind of situation, and if Emrys can find no faults in that plan, then I don’t see why that shouldn’t become part of the plan.’ He turned to Merlin for her answer and while she knew that there were risks involved in any kind of scheme such as this, she was willing to take it. She barely had any choice in the matter when destiny was involved. ‘Yes, I think that it’s a good idea for now. I don’t know how it will work but I can look in my book for a spell of that kind, and Cerdan may you check in your scrolls for any positions of similar effects?’ Cerdan nodded,

‘However, I refuse to go alone, just the idea of going back into Camelot’s Kingdom is enough to give me fear so entering the city is something I will _never_ do alone.’ She continued trying to look strict, as Iseldir motioned a hand towards, her soothingly, ‘Of course Merlin dear, there was never any chance that you’d be sent in alone, no, I guarantee that Gwaine here will accompany you, as will the Morgana and Nathaniel.’ The three in question all nodded their heads with no hesitation, Gwaine’s hand squeezing over Merlin’s gently, ‘You aren’t going anywhere near that place without me and you’d never stop me going with you Merls’.’ He said with conviction, looking her straight in the eyes. After their discussion that later morning, Merlin spent time with Cerdan looking through both her book and some of the scrolls he kept possession of; there had been a few similar types of spell but Merlin was getting to the point where she would try anything if it was likely to work. This glamour had to be long lasting and full bodied, and while it wasn’t very important for Nathaniel’s to be full bodied, since the King had never had an encounter with him, it was important for the others; Morgana would be highly recognisable being the (former?) Princess of Camelot, nearly everyone knew her face, anyone would know Gwaine, being a very frequent patron of the tavern and any of the servants and Knights around the castle would recognise Merlin, as would the King and Queen themselves and they couldn’t afford for that to happen. 

Eventually, Cerdan came across a spell in one of his scrolls which was nearly perfect for what they wanted, it was a glamouring spell yet it would need to be done along with a spell for the timing as the spell wasn't long lasting like they needed. So having found a suitable spell, they now had to find a day long, time spell for it, seeing as they would be in Camelot for the entirety of the tournament. It wasn’t hard to find, Merlin’s spell book contained many spells which could work and then she could work on performing them with Morgana; they would be taking charge of each other's glamour as it would be more secure that way, with no chance of it dropping at any time.

There was much preparation to go through, where they would stay, where they would hide out near the tournament, when they'd put on the glamours and how they would get there. Obviously they couldn’t risk losing time by travelling by horseback but they couldn’t very well take Aithusa, she was clearly visible but it was sorted out pretty quickly, Morgana was very handy with the transportation spell, used when rescuing Merlin and Gwaine after the bandits. It was easy enough to take the four of them into Camelot and it would be easier if they needed to run away at any point. It had been agreed that if any of them were brought under suspicion that they’d leave, straight away no questions, no compromises- leaving, even if it meant not being able to do anything to help. None of them wanted to take that risk, especially since Merlin barely wanted to be going there as it was, the idea of being caught, well that was an even bigger issue.

Morgana and Merlin spent a few days working on their glamouring, seeing how long they could make the spell last effectively and luckily after those days, they’d both been able to keep the glamour for a full day with no concentration. They didn’t use very difficult glamorous, keeping their hair colours the way they were yet changing their figures to try something different before the day; Gwaine and Nathaniel had it a bit rough however over those days, not being able to find their partners with the ease they were used too but it made the two witches very amused. They would be using full glamorous when the time came and it would be a complete difference, different hair colour, style, figure, etc for all four of them and they would have to see how that went on the day.

Morgana hadn’t had anymore visions after that night but she still felt the danger and it often kept her up late at night, it was easy to find her sitting by the pools on her own after most of the camp was asleep and so Merlin had taken to sitting with her, sometimes they talked, other times they didn’t and other times, once the cave grew colder, they would go and cuddle up against Aithusa, the young dragon radiating heat all the time and making a comfortable experience to sleep against. Merlin could see that the older woman still felt guilty for them having to go back so soon after leaving, and it didn’t matter how many times Merlin told her that it wasn’t her fault, her guilt could still be felt through her magic and it made Merlin sad that her friend thought it was her fault, even when she had no control over her visions and what they would show. When she recalled her vision, she couldn’t find any definite in them, just that she’d seen chaos in the arena and Arthur on the floor; she hadn’t seen who was attempting to hurt him, she couldn’t see if there was a weapon involved or if the person was a magic user, so there was so much that couldn’t be confirmed, so for this quest, they needed to be prepared for both situations. If the person/people were magic users, most of the work would be done by Merlin, Morgana and Nathaniel with Gwaine as back up and if they were a non-magic user, then any conflict would be between Gwaine and Morgana while Merlin and Nathaniel would be acting as backup. 

Merlin could tell that Gwaine wasn’t the happiest with this plan. While he was working away and training by himself and with Nathaniel and Cade; he was working hard and when Merlin had come outside to watch them practice, she could see in some of his movements that he was angry. She couldn’t blame him though, he had said that he hated the King a while before this had happened and she knew that it was true, he very much disliked the nobles that were apart of or came to Camelot and now every time the King was brought up in conversation, his face would contort into a scowl and he’d take a few deep breaths before he could say something stupid. He also clearly didn’t want her going back, he was going to support her because he knew that even after everything she had to go back but she had seen how he looked over at her worried in the evening while they were having their evening meal and she could understand his fears- she had them too. She didn’t want to go back but she had too, if she was to save the King from being hurt or killed, and she hoped it wouldn’t come close to that, because however much the idea of his presence frightened her now, she still could recognise a good King and Camelot needed that after Uther’s reign but she didn’t want to go. Their plan was as safe as it could get but she was still apprehensive about the days they’d have to implement it and even in glamour she didn’t want to come face to face with the King at any point . However, they still had little more than a week before they had to go, so more than enough time to ensure that nothing could go wrong. 

The day had finally come for them to go back to Camelot, the first rounds of the tournament were beginning today and they needed to be there just in time for it to begin so that there was less chance of them missing anything or anyone suspicious. They’d packed the previous night so that there was nothing else to worry about the morning after as well as making sure that they had some money with them so that they could pay for both a set of rooms for accommodation and some food over the four days they’d be there. Nathaniel didn’t seem so nervous when the four of them met with Iseldir, Cerdan and Alice a short while before they were to leave, as he didn’t have anything to lose, he’d never been to Camelot so no one would recognise his face but the others were all beginning to feel some level of worry. Alice had provided them with a small pack of herbs, bindings and other medicines, just in case they should need it, they didn't even have to use it for them- anyone may have needed it. Iseldir gave them some encouraging words and Cerdan performed a Druids’ protection enchantment- it had no real use as a spell, it was more for the spiritual side of Druidic culture.

Aithusa had been very hard to convince to stay behind, she had wanted to go with Merlin and Gwaine, not really understanding the reasons why she was being left behind, however after some stern talking with her and a small use of her Dragon ‘Lord’ influence, the young Dragon had been convinced, even with some sulking. It was almost funny, if the thought of where they were heading wasn’t the first thing in everyone’s heads and after some further discussion, Aithusa decided to go back to Kilgharrah for a short while, needing some form of comfort from her remaining kin. 

Before they left, they were going to put the glamours in place, so that they’d be able to do the spells correctly instead of trying to rush through it all to not be caught, which could wind up with the spell going awry. They all moved out of the cave to stand just outside in the clearing, so that they had enough space to make the spell on all four of them and Merlin was going to do the spell first on Morgana and Nathaniel before the former would do the spell on Merlin and Gwaine. Merlin held her staff out in her hand, pointing it towards them, she prepared herself, closing her eyes as she took one deep breath in and out opening her eyes to bright gold as the crystal glowed blue in the staff, magic crackling around the clearing in bright blue flashes, ‘ **Appearance is not as to be seen, a glamour to change in the eye of the beholder. To last from sun to sun in the eye of the eye of the beholder, to never fail, hold firm.** ’

A light fell over Morgana and Nathaniel, Merlin’s magic swirling around them as their forms began to change, Morgana’s hair shortened until it was just below her shoulders, turning a light brown-blonde colour, her jawline filling out to take away it’s defined shape, her nose shape changed yet her eyes stayed the same cold blue colour. Her body shape stayed similar, filling out only a little to that of a working girl. Nathaniel’s hair changed instantly growing longer until a similar length to Gwaine’s and changing to a dark brown colour, other than that his face didn’t change nor did his body or eyes, but that was to be expected as he didn’t have to change much. ‘That still feels strange, even after all the times we’ve done it you know.’ Morgana smiled, a small shudder moving over her shoulders, she then gave them a spin, ‘So what do you think? Do I look much different?’

Everyone nodded, ‘Different, yet your eyes are still the same, but that’s to be expected.’ Morgana turned to Nathaniel, ‘Now don’t you look handsome sir, I like you in this shade.’ She ran her fingers through his longer hair, ‘I like the shade, I don’t know if I like the length though, it’s too… Gwaine!’ Nathaniel added, Gwaine making a sound of offence from where he was standing, Nathaniel placating him with an apology as Merlin put down her staff and traded places with the other two, standing a little ways from each other. Morgana repeated the same spell as Merlin, her eyes glowing the same gold as Merlin as the spell began its work on them. Morgana had been right in saying that it felt strange, the swirl of magic, pulling and moving through your body a very strange experience, Merlin could feel her hair moving, her cheeks filling out, her figure curving ever so slightly, yet it wasn’t a bad feeling, it just felt quite cold. Once it was all done, Merlin glanced down at herself for while she didn’t feel very different, there were some, for a start, her hair had changed colour completely, where it had once sat black, it was now a bright ginger hair which really surprised her and her figure was more plump, wider at her hips but not in anyway larger than a well fed servant. She looked over at Gwaine, starting in surprise as it seemed that Gwaine had changed places with Nathaniel, his hair had shrunk back into a close cut hairstyle against his head, yet it was a similar tone to chocolate and his facial features had lost some of their trusting edge, he looked far more calculating than Merlin was used to seeing.

He looked back at her, an open look of amazement on his face, ‘You look incredible Merls’ I've never seen you look so different, yet I would know it’s you in a heartbeat. Those gorgeous blues of yours.’ Merlin felt herself blush, hiding a smile as she looked away from him. His eyes had stayed the same but Merlin did feel like she missed his hair though, she liked to run her hands through it. ‘I just think you look different my Knight, you look far more stern in face and I don’t like it as much but I'll have to get used to the sight over the next few days won’t I and you never know, maybe I’ll end up preferring it.’ Gwaine looked amused, yet when he put his hand up to his head, he looked shocked and frankly quite upset to find no hair there and whining about it for a few minutes until Merlin shushed him. Merlin and Morgana were both wearing simple dresses, from some of the material they’d bought previously, Merlin’s was in a shade of green while Morgana’s was in a light shade of pale blush colour which suited her very well. Merlin had originally wanted to be in one of her shirts and trousers, but it would be found strange at the tournament and they’d receive more attention than not which is what they didn’t need so Merlin had begrudgingly let herself be put into a dress and overall it was quite a pretty dress, it was simple enough to seem like a servant yet had fine detailing on it that she could come across as a spectator to the tournament. 

Quickly grabbing a hold on their packs and Merlin’s staff- which she shrunk down into a necklace, right at the centre of her chest, to take away suspicion her staff would bring to them, they all stood in a small bunch, saying goodbye to Iseldir, Cerdan and Alice for the next few days. Gwaine grabbed hold of Merlin’s hand, not particularly fond of transportation, and gave it a squeeze which she returned, trying to give him a reassuring smile, even though inside she was feeling just as nervous, if not more than all of them combined. There was a rush of magic as Morgana said the spell, her magic wrapping around the four of them securely before tingling sensation took over and all at once, instead of being surrounded by trees, grass and the view of outside the cave, they were in an alleyway, hidden in a dark shadow of a house and down towards the end of the alley, could be seen people, bustling up and down the street and all the loud noises of Camelot.

It was a strange feeling, having gotten used to the quiet and sereneness of the forest and the camp but at the same time, it was nice to hear some rowdiness. They already knew from a previous plan that they were going to find accommodation first before heading towards the castle and the tournament grounds, so with their cloaks pulled up over their heads and hands clasped together, the two couples made their way out the alley, blending into the busy people straight away. They knew where they were headed, going to one of the closest taverns, The Rising Sun, it was risky since that’s where the Knights tended to frequent, but it was the better choice than some of the other taverns. It was busy inside, as to be expected from a tournament day yet they were able to talk to the innkeeper about two rooms, which he luckily had free but there had been a tense moment after they had pulled their hoods down, with the innkeeper just looking at them, before he finally offered them the two rooms. Once he’d shown them to the rooms and given them the keys, they all met inside Morgana and Nathaniel’s room, sighing in relief, 

‘I never realised how stern that man's stare could be, he’s normally so cheery.’ Merlin said with a shudder, ‘Yes but he’d never seen us before has he, we’re new around here for the tournament and we’ll be leaving in four days.’ Gwaine reminded her yet looking just as weirded out as the others felt. ‘Does everyone feel alright? No glamour changes, feeling like it’s slipping on anyone?’ Morgana asked, looking at each of them shaking their heads, ‘I think we’re all fine dear, the spells were done by the two most powerful witches we know.’ She gave Nathaniel a small push, though she was smiling. As everyone was feeling comfortable with their glamours, they made their way up towards the castle. 

Merlin was frightened, very anxious but she knew that this was something that needed to be done however much she wanted to be back home in the cave but here she was in the middle of Camelot’s lower town again. There were a lot of people around, making it somewhat difficult to move around but at the same time, it meant that the four of them blended easily, especially when they had to go past the castle guards. Merlin kept her head down nearly the entire time they were walking there, even though she knew that with her change in appearance, none one could recognise her but it didn’t stop her from worrying. The tournament ground was as large as always and off to the side were the competitors' tents, where all the people competing would stay and prepare before each round they were in. Since these were common things, Merlin and Gwaine knew where the tent with their Knights would be but it was a case of how they would get there to try and speak with Lancelot and Percival.

The King was participating in the tournament, however, as he was spectating the other rounds of matches, he would be sitting with the Queen in the Royal box at the side until his own fights. She briefly spoke with Morgana and Nathaniel through her mind about what they were going to be doing now, they would split up onto different sides of the ring and watch from there for anything abnormal, but before hand, Merlin and Gwaine were going to go and get he Knights on their own and if she could find him, Merlin was going to try and speak with Gaius. Once she had their mental ‘okays’, Merlin whispered the plan to Gwaine, who took it upon himself to plaster himself against her back while they had been standing waiting to be let into the grounds, he had been looking out the entire time, taller, due to the glamour in place, that he was taller than Merlin for a change and since he had that stern unapproachable look on his face, there hadn't been an attention on them for long.

There was an opportunity that Merlin eventually found for them to slip away and to the back of the ring, since they were dressed plainly, anyone glancing over would assume them to be servants readying Knights for their entrances into the ring. They did have to hide a couple of times, there were far too many guards posted around the tents, both Camelot’s own and from other Kingdom’s, however, they were able to find Camelot’s tent pretty quickly as there were many more guards surrounding it and that could only mean one thing- the King was currently inside. Merlin looked at Gwaine, feeling her breath catch as she could see him coming to the same realisation but before they had time to talk, they saw the Queen. Gwen looked beautiful, wearing her deep red dress, detailed with golden flowers and her hair tied into a regal, neat plait and twist, the rest of her hair flowing in its natural waves. A small intricate circlet resting against her temple, to show her status without it taking away from the gown she loved to wear and seeing Gwen again, looking as she did yet not able to tell her brought tears into her eyes, even as the Queen entered the tent and out of view.

Merlin turned around and into Gwaine’s embrace, ‘I miss her so much Gwaine. I can see her but I can’t show her it’s me. It hurts so badly.’ Gwaine rubbed a hand in circles over her back, his mouth pressed against her hair in consolation. In staying in that position, neither had seen or heard movement of the tent entrance until a calming, kind voice spoke behind them, ‘Are you alright? Are you in need of a doctor?’ The two of them froze, Merlin like stone, Gwaine tightening his hold on her, keeping her head tucked into his chest while he spoke, ‘I apologise my Queen, no she is in no need of a doctor, only my wife has had some distressing news from a relative this morning which has caused her some great upset. We did not mean to cause such a sight, if it is also causing you distress your majesty.’ Gwen spoke again sounding upset, yet soothing as she always was, ‘You aren’t causing a sight I assure you. News that causes pain cannot be dealt with in silence or on your own so it is no reason to apologise. I was just coming to collect the King to come and speak with some of the visiting royalty and nobles, wasn’t I Arthur? Otherwise you’d be late if I hadn’t taken you from the Knights.’ Merlin froze even more, feeling her heart sink into the back of her throat, as she began to shake in Gwaine’s arms.

Now she knew why Gwaine had tightened his arms around her, he was trying to comfort her while trying to keep himself from attacking the King and for that she felt pride in him, until she heard the voice of her former King, ‘Yes Guinevere, I know I would have been late, however we had to stop when we heard your wife crying. What are your names?’ Merlin couldn’t speak, so it was good that Gwaine did the talking, ‘My name is Rowan and my wife’s name is Juliette.’ The royal couple both hummed, ‘Juliette, could you turn to face me please?’ Gwen sounded so concerned and kind that Merlin couldn’t find it in herself to refuse, letting Gwaine loosen his hold on her, taking a breath in before turning to face her friend. Gwen looked as concerned as she sounded, stepping towards her and raising her handkerchief up to wipe the tears from her eyes, ‘You are too pretty to be crying.’ Merlin couldn’t help but smile at that, ‘There we are, so pretty now you’re smiling.’ she tucked the handkerchief into Merlin's hand before taking a step back to The King’s side, ‘Thank you my Queen, you are most kind.’ Gwen flushed after Merlin said that, a small smile gracing her face. ‘I have a question.’ Merlin’s smile dropped from her face and she stepped behind Gwaine instinctively, even as her magic took up a protective level around her and Gwaine, invisible to everyone but her. ‘Yes Sire?’ Gwaine sounded like he was getting angry, drawing up his newfound height marginally, to take place in front of his love, ‘I don’t recall seeing either of you before. Are you servants here in Camelot?’

Merlin managed to find her voice after Gwaine hesitated, ‘Yes sire, we were brought in just for this tournament, and we are to help your Knights into their armour, sire and after the tournament we shall be leaving again.’ Her voice had been shaky, yet she could blame that on her previous crying if asked about it. The King looked at them for a few moments before nodding, motioning them towards the tent, ‘Well you had better get on with it then, I’m expecting them to be ready in 15 minutes for the start of the tournament. Let’s go Guinevere, don’t want to keep those nobles waiting and thank you in advance for your services over the next few days.’ Gwaine and Merlin, bowed and curtseyed in respect as the royal couple departed a couple of guards behind them and the moment they were out of eyesight, Gwaine pulled Merlin into a hug, ‘Goddess I wanted to punch him so much, so hard.’ Merlin laughed, ‘So hard it would have been perfect but I don’t want to go to the dungeons today.’ Merlin chuckled again, leaning up to press a kiss to his mouth before beginning to pull him towards the Knights tent, no longer feeling as nervous, since she’d already had a confrontation with the King and he hadn’t recognised her. 

A lot of talking and bantering could be heard from inside the tent, the normal roughhousing and aggravating jokes being sent from the senior knights to the newer knights which gave Merlin a sense of comfort while looking at Gwaine’s face, he missed it a lot, being able to banter with the knights and train with his friends. Upon entering the tent, luckily they were all in a state of dress, in their under tunics and trousers, many of them were sat around waiting for assistance, while a couple of other attendants worked on other knights armour and others were doing some last minute sharpening of their swords and other blades they’d be using. It wasn’t hard to spot their knights, sitting around in a huddle at the back of the tent, talking between them, Leon was already in his armour, Elyan the same while Percival and Lancelot were conveniently without their armour as of yet, a perfect opportunity.

She walked over to them, a pace behind Gwaine who was taking lead, Merlin putting on a meek persona for a typical servant around Knights, ‘Sir Knights’ A low bow and curtsey, ‘if you are ready, we can begin helping you into your armour. The King is expecting his Knights ready within 15 minutes, and so has instructed us to give you help.’ The Knights looked at them, Lancelot giving a nod and standing up along with Percival while, Leon and Elyan took leave of the tent, as had many of the other knights and their attendees, leaving the two knights alone with Merlin and Gwaine, who played into their parts until they were sure that no one was going to come back into the tent at that moment. Merlin was currently helping Lancelot put on his chainmail but like normal, once it was over his head, it always got stuck as he could never find the arm holes, Merlin took her chance with a cheeky glance at Gwaine helping Percival, ‘Really Lancelot, you’d think after all this time, you’d know how to put your chainmail on properly!’ The knight looked up shocked, conveniently finding the armholes as he gaped at her, Percival however, hearing what she said hadn’t realised it was her, turned to her looking annoyed, ‘Who do you think you are talking to a Knight of Camelot like that?’

Merlin just beamed, looking up at the huge man, ‘Don’t you recognize me Percy? Don’t you recognise him, your best friend huh?’ The two knights looked very confused, looking back and forth between a grinning Merlin and Gwaine until Lancelot finely seemed to understand, the look on his face turning overjoyed, quietly saying, ‘Merlin? Gwaine? Is that you?’ 


	12. Looks like it’s back to Camelot... pt.2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tournament has arrived, but what kind of threat are they facing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally another chapter! Sorry for it being later than normal, I got stuck part way through before finding my thoughts again and I was able to complete this chapter! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy :)

Gwaine chuckled, ‘Nice you see you too golden boy!’ A look of realisation appeared on Percival’s face as he looked closer at the two of them and he heard Gwaine’s nickname for the noble knight. ‘What in the goddesses name are you doing here? Do you not realise that if you get discovered you could be sent to the dungeons?’ Merlin chuckled as Lancelot pulled her into a tight embrace, seeing in her peripheral sight that Percival was doing the same with Gwaine, the larger man squeezing him impossibly tight. ‘It’s good to see you too Lance, but you’re kind of cutting off my air so if you could release me that would be great!’ The knight gave her one last squeeze before finally relinquishing his hold on her, ‘I know the dangers but in fact we’ve already had a run in with danger…’ She leant up onto her toes to give Percival a hug too, the giant being far more gentle with her than he’d been with Gwaine, ‘We saw both the King and Queen…’ the two knights looked at her in shock, ‘And we spoke to them, both of them and neither of them recognised us and the only way you did was because I prompted you. You never would have known otherwise.’

The two knights still looked shocked, looking the two of them up and down. Percival was looking quite closely at Merlin and she could see Gwaine bristling ever so slightly, ‘Well you certainly don't look like you should and I admit I never would have realised if you hadn’t have said anything. Who else has come with you? Lady Morgana?’ The giant man asked, looking away from Merlin to look closer at Gwaine. Merlin nodded, going back to helping Lancelot into his armour, ‘She’s still somewhere in the circle with her beau Nathaniel, waiting and watching everything while we came to find you guys and hopefully Gaius at some point. We don't know what the threat is going to be exactly but we know that we are all well prepared should anything happen today.’ The tent opening flapped open as another knight poked his head through, ‘You have five minutes before we head into the ring. The King wants you at the front with him.’ Lancelot answered and quickly dismissed the younger knight so that they could have some privacy again. Knowing how little time they had to speak, Merlin and Gwaine hurried to help their friends into the rest of their gear, talking quickly about some of their plans before they had to take place with the rest of the knights.

Merlin also asked where she was most likely to find Gaius, not knowing where exactly he would be as the tournament grounds had changed shape and look to accommodate how many people were going to be participating and watching the matches. ‘He’ll be around the other side of the tents, the entrance for the medical teams is over there, he’ll be with Noah, he's going to be helping with the…’ Merlin looked up at Lancelot, confused, ‘Who’s Noah?’ The knights looked at each other quickly before Lancelot let out a large breath of air. ‘Noah is the King’s manservant. He’s been here for a few months and he’s been staying with Gaius in his chambers.’ The two knights looked apologetic, while Merlin didn’t know what to say, Gwaine moving closer to her side, his hand hovering on her side. ‘Merls, love are you ok?’ She shook her head, blinking a few times, looking at each of the knights in turn, ‘Yes, I’m fine, sorry I just forgot that there would be a change in that position too but in any case, it has no meaning to me, servants change all the time. I was just a servant after-all and I know that if you did suspect anything, you’d have told me earlier and I trust you both so it’s no issue that I need to address.’ She walked away from the three men to go and get the knights swords, bringing them back to tie in place on their belts. ‘You two had better go, I don’t want the King coming to look for you. One less problem I need now, also should you have to call out to us at any time, our names are Rowan and Juliette- remember them for _we_ ’ she gestured to herself and Gwaine, ‘are not here. We don’t exist in Camelot.’ The knights nodded, assuring them of their understanding before leaving the tent, the _servants_ following behind them.

The two of them accompanied the knights to their places with the rest of Camelot’s competing knights and the King, who was speaking with Sir Leon, he looked up when the knights arrived but his attentions were brought to the two servants, especially when Lancelot gave Merlin a hug for good luck, his eye brow raised in question. Merlin could sense Lancelot panicking and Gwaine getting defensive, quickly speaking to her former King for the second time that day, ‘I apologize sire, my husband and I met Sirs Lancelot and Percival on our travels a few years ago and they are good friends, even though we are only servants in name, they protected us from bandits. I apologise for my display of improper etiquette.’ While she was speaking, Lancelot and Percival had understood her distraction, Percival clapping Gwaine on the back and placing a hand gently on Merlin's shoulder to try and show the friendship between them- they already had it, but the King wasn’t to know that.

She could feel herself trembling under his stare, becoming frightened again and wanting to leave that very second so she could be away from the man who frightened her so much. There was a tense moment of silence before the King nodded, ‘They are good men, good knights, I have no doubts that they would have helped you both in trouble. I’m just surprised you found each other here ‘tis all.’ Another servant came to his side, taking away his attention to announce that they were all ready to enter the arena, Merlin and Gwaine seizing the moment to slip away from the large group of knights and round towards the other side of the arena.

It wasn’t very hard to make it through to the other side of the arena, now that they had confirmation from the King himself -should anyone ask, but seeing all the guards around did make Merlin nervous, as did seeing many of the castle servants she’d been friendly with, since she couldn’t speak to them at all. There were medical tents set up for each Kingdom, each one having their own physicians and servants in attendance and it was again easy to find Camelot’s, yet Gaius wasn’t in there, most likely standing by at the entryway watching for any injuries to occur. It wasn’t hard to find her uncle once she knew where to look, he was a lot older than most of the physicians brought by the other Kings and Lords and he was shorter than a fair amount of them; a small smile graced her face as she looked at him, carrying his small pouch of medicines and herbs for immediate care, there was something so nostalgic about it, seeing him so in his element and so unaware of her being there as she came to a stop with Gwaine just a foot of so behind him, so close she could touch yet wanting to keep some element of surprise as well as not wanting to distract him should any incidents happen at the beginning of the tournament during the first matches.

The King was talking but Merlin wasn’t listening, she’d heard enough of his speeches for tournaments, that she could basically recite one herself, focusing on scanning the people, along with the visiting knights and nobles. Gwaine was also watching, glaring intensely into the crowd, his hand on the hilt of his glamoured sword, only visible once taken from its scabbard, probably the only reason why the King had been less suspicious about them when he first saw them. Morgana’s sword had the same glamour as did Nathaniel’s, whereas Merlin only had her small blades, hidden beneath her shirt, tucked into her belt. Her staff turned necklace, was a grounding weight against her chest, warm and tingling against her skin as she scanned the arena for any magical signatures, there were the recognisable ones of Morgana and Nathaniel, along with Gaius’s old, worn signature from barely any use and a few very weak, dim ones which had Merlin surprised; other magic users in Camelot’s capital, hiding in plain sight and as far as Merlin could sense, they were all light magic, druidic type magic and the only other powerful magic she could feel was Morgana from across the arena, seated beside Nathaniel.

It was quite a good thing that there weren’t any other powerful magic users around that would need finding, as that in itself is a hard thing to achieve, no matter how powerful the pull is, the signature can be projected outwards to hide the true user's identity. The tournament had been declared open and the first match was being announced by the King, set between two other Kingdoms, Camelot’s knights having to wait for the first of them to be called. There was chatter throughout the teams of physicians, each quietly saying that they wanted their Knights to win and the teams that they thought would be over before any of the final rounds even got close. It did bring a chuckle from the two of them, Gwaine rolling his eyes at Merlin as if to say, _Is this what you would talk about during tournaments?_ Merlin just smiled back at him a silent laugh on her breath, looking back at the ring as there were clashes of metal against metal and the cheering of the crowd The men in the ring currently fighting weren’t the biggest, quite small in comparison to some knights with bulkier framed bodies, yet they were both fast and agile- a good match together and actually quite entertaining to watch. Merlin was watching them carefully, feeling Morgana’s magic spread around the arena, as she also watched them with a look of concentration on her face as she searched for any magical interference yet finding none. 

There were knights waiting out the back, each keeping to their separate groups apart from Sir Leon- as First Knight, he had a duty to welcome each Knight individually before their turn in the arena and so he was going from group to group speaking briefly to all of them. He was a noble man, always had been, yet kind and courteous to those beneath him. Merlin pushed her magic around further, feeling for any weird signatures yet finding none, other than a weak magic signature of one of the younger looking knights from a small Kingdom called Vynden.

He wasn’t interacting with his fellow knights as much as others were, looking quiet and out of his depth, only just past his teenage years, yet she felt him bristle when she gave an experimental mental tug at him, the boy looking around nervously, his hand clenched tight on the hilt of his sword. She felt some pity for him, choosing in a risky move, to try and speak with him, tugging further onto his magic to initiate a link with him, _‘Stay calm, I don’t wish to hurt you. You are safe as long as you don’t reveal yourself. Calm down!’_ The boy had flinched outwardly, looking around with wide eyes, as he tried to school his expressions, _‘Who are you? Where are you? What do you want?’_ He sounded frightened, even in her head, making her pity him more. She knew that it wouldn’t be a good idea to reveal her real name, so she decided on the name that most magic folk would know, _‘My name is Emrys…’_ He froze in his looking around, mouth gaping slightly, _‘I am here to protect the King of Camelot. I need some reassurance from you since I need to be able to protect him properly, without any distraction against an attempt on his life. Do you have any intent to cause injury to the King or Queen of Camelot ?’_

The boy looked shocked, shaking his head slightly, before answering, _‘Emrys, my lady I am completely in awe of your presence and I promise hadn’t even thought anything of that kind, I am here only to prove myself in the ring, prove myself as a knight for my Lord. I know of the prophecy my lady, and your role in his destiny and I am honoured to have had an opportunity to speak with you. I give you my assurance, Emrys, as a druid that I will never attempt to harm the King of Camelot, the Once And Future King.’_ Merlin smiled at the tone of awe he had in his inner voice, and the reverence in which he spoke her name, she turned her head to watch him, letting her magic intermingle with his and pull it closer to her physically, watching as he looked up and over to where she was standing- allowing the glamour placed on her to fade only to him, so he could see her true form without glamouring and flashed her eyes gold.

She continued to speak with him, even as he opened and closed his mouth a few times, in complete amazement, his own eyes responding to her pull, _‘I am glad of your intentions, I would have hated having to delve deeper into your mind to discover your true motives. Time will reward you someday for your choices and I too shall give you a reward, to the kind druid who for his young age understood the meaning of the prophecy far more than a multitude of your elders. What is your name, young druid?’_ The boy replied almost instantly, _‘My name is William, Lady Emrys and I thank you for your confidence in me.’_ There was a small twinge of pain she felt, a memory of losing her closest friend from Ealdor, _‘Well William, Druid from Vynden, I give you luck for your tournament rounds, however far you get and I hope, that should I need you over the next few days you will respond to help when I call. I also expect you to not use your gifts for cheating in the tournament, if you are to be a knight, you must rely on your own talents rather than your magic.’_ The boy nodded slightly, agreeing in their link, as Merlin finally turned away, the first match already coming to an end, yet Merlin had no interest in that, turning back to Gwaine to quietly ask whether or not he had spotted anything or noticed anyone acting suspiciously.

He hadn’t but it was early in the tournament and after a quick mental conversation with Morgana and Nathaniel they agreed that it was unlikely that anything would be tried until the King was at a vulnerable position which currently he was not. The King didn’t have a match until the next day so unless the person had a death wish, there was no way that anything would be attempted while the King was surrounded by other Kings, Lords and his guards, some of the most heavily armed people at the tournament.

One of the knights had taken a pretty nasty cut to the arm in addition to his defeat and as the physician for them had been taken ill before the tournament began, it was Gaius’ duty to help aid the knight as much as he could. While both knights were still able to walk, they were both leaning against each other, feeling the strain and fatigue of such a long match. Gaius began walking to collect the injured party, as they clasped hands in honouring and respect, leading the man over to a small tent set up close to the arena for Gaius to work on patients. Merlin and Gwaine followed, luckily so as the knight’s legs began to buckle from the fatigue, Gwaine ready to catch him when the old physician couldn’t. Being instructed where to put the man, Gwaine did so, while Merlin working on instinct, began to help remove his armour, so that Gaius could have better access to the sight of the cut. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Gaius raise his eyebrow in a very Gaius type way, but focussed on helping the knight for now before allowing the healer space to work. Gwaine stepped back, leaving the two of them to work as the old man gave Merlin orders for her help, the knight was in a fair deal of pain and the cut was continuing to bleed more than it should have been for the area where it sat on his arm. He had to have the wound stitched closed, along with a poultice of herbs lathered on top to help fight any infection before it was wrapped in clean fabric and he could be sent away again back to his tent with his fellow knights. 

It was quiet for a while as Gaius cleared up some of the extra poultice and Merlin tipped away a bowl of bloody water, and put some bloody rags on a fire outside the tent. The old man finally took a seat on a stool for the patients, looking at the pair of them as they stood together near the entrance; Merlin felt scrutinised, and anxious, hoping she wouldn’t be turned away. ‘Have I met either of you before? Because it feels as though I have done yet I can’t place you and I always remember a face.’ Merlin glanced at Gwaine, before looking outside the tent briefly, feeling tears spring in her eyes as she breathlessly spoke, ‘Hello uncle… I’ve missed you.’ She released the glamour on herself and Gwaine again, as his eyes widened and he looked overcome with emotion, opening his arms for her to move into, arms closing tight around her as she hugged him back, tears rolling down her cheeks and onto his tunic, ‘Oh Merlin, my girl. Oh it’s so good to see you again and how I’ve missed you so!’ They pulled away to look at each other, grasping hands as he turned to smile at Gwaine beckoning him forward to greet him with a hug as well, ‘It’s good to see you too my boy, you both look good so I can be reassured of your living situation. Where is Lady Morgana?’

Merlin wiped a hand over her tears, replying, ‘She’s over the other side of the arena in the stands keeping watch but we’re all sure that no one would try anything today, and we know that there are currently no large sources of magic around Camelot other than ourselves. Plenty of hidden sorcerers and druids about but no one with a large amount of magic. It’s a good thing but to be on the safe side, we are going to check each day that that answer doesn’t change. Morgana is alright however, she’s using the same glamouring spell that we are along with her beau, so we are all masked from outsiders. I’m sure she’ll try to see you at some point today or tomorrow, she’s missed you too over the years she’s been gone.’ Gaius nodded, a small smile on his face, he’d missed the Princess, he’d been trying to treat her ailment of sleeplessness since she was a child before they finally realised that it was due to her magic slowly awakening. ‘It should be nice to see her again. It’s been a long time and I was so used to her company at one point. I’m pleased that she accompanied you here, though I guess there was no question about that?’ There wasn't very much time before the next match to begin so Merlin quickly mentioned their plan along with her encounter with the King and Queen as well as her meeting with Percival, Lancelot and the Druid boy William.

Their encounter with King Arthur had Gaius raising his brow higher than she had ever seen- very funny if she was being honest. 

There was an announcement for the next round which had Gaius getting ready to head back out when a tall, brown haired young man came rushing in, spewing words that could only be understood every few seconds during the sentence as he was speaking so fast. Gaius rolled his eyes in an exasperated fashion as he held his arms up silencing the boy, ‘Oh boy you speak too fast for me sometimes, I can't understand you.’ Merlin and Gwaine looked at each other, Gwaine’s expression mischievous as though he was highly amused. The boy was bent over breathing heavily, hands on his knees, ‘I said, I’m sorry I’m late, I got distracted doing the King’s speech for this evening and then one of the maid needed help sorting out a room so I went to help her and then I bumped into the Queen and started speaking with her and then I went back to the speech to complete it and…’ Merlin looked back at Gwaine, he was grinning ear to ear, stifling a chuckle as he leant down to whisper into her ear as Noah continued explaining to Gaius, ‘Remind you of someone my love? because he sure reminds me of you!’

Merlin felt shocked, mouth opened in mock upset as she swatted at his stomach, hands being caught in a light grip. ‘Right, ok Noah you don't need to explain any more, just make sure you’re punctual next time alright. I had to get some help from these nice people!’ Said boy turned to look at them, a wide trusting smile on his face just radiating innocence that Merlin couldn’t find it in herself to feel any resentment towards him for having the job that should have been her in the home that was hers. ‘Oh thank you for helping Gaius, I am grateful for it. What are your names?’ Gwaine stepped forward, clasping hands with him, ‘I am Rowan and that is my wife Juliette, we are helping Camelot’s knights in preparing their armour each day. We happened to be around when Gaius needed some help but we are happy to help whenever he needs us.’ Noah stepped towards Merlin, holding his hand out to shake hers while bowing ever so slightly, ‘It's a pleasure to meet you both and if I my Miss Juliette, I think you have very lovely hair’ She held her breath, controlling her face to not show her alarm thinking she’d forgotten to put the glamour back up, ‘It’s so red, so vibrant’

She released her breath, trying it back to normal, ‘Thank you Sir, it is something that I often get noticed for yet no one has yet to call it vibrant so I am honoured.’ He waved his hand in the air, ‘There is no need to call me Sir, I am just the King’s manservant. I hold no titles to my name, I’m just Noah, just like you and your husband.’ (She loved Gwaine being referred to as her husband!) ‘Thank you Noah, let’s hope the tournament is a good one and there won’t be too many injuries for Camelot’s knights, they are very strong so most likely not but we always need to be careful, their swords are sharp.’ Gwaine took hold of her hand, tugging ever so slightly, reminding Merlin that another round had been announced, ‘Sorry, we’ve been distracted! Gaius the next match must have started, we’d better get going.’ With that conversation done, the four of them moved to the side entrance to watch the next match. It was an older Camelot knight with a knight from Essetir, both looking strong and opposing so it was sure to be a good match, the crowd becoming more excited and loud as the round began at the King’s signal.

The day ended uneventfully, as anticipated by Merlin and the others so there really wasn’t much to do other than watch the matches and help Gaius along with Noah with injured knights. Some of Camelot’s knights won their rounds whereas some of the others didn’t and many were injured- small slices to arms and grazes on legs, bruising on their faces, around their eyes yet no one was seriously injured which was a good thing. It was nice, just working as she would have done before, only this time, she had a different face and a different name that she had to use and this time her knight wasn’t participating and he was quite jealous about it, she could see it on his face, that he wanted to be out there fighting and performing for everyone and she felt sorry for him, she always would as it was her fault that he’d had to leave Camelot in the first place but she couldn’t dwell on it too much as it brought her closer to him and showed her true feelings for the knight which she would always be grateful for.

During the midday break for lunch, Merlin and Gwaine had met with Morgana and Nathaniel outside the arena, choosing to buy some warm bread from a stall to eat with some roasted apples they also bought. They told Morgana about Gaius wanting to see, along with finally telling her that they’d had an encounter with the King and Queen which had shocked her and then made her worry, and then made her sad; she hadn’t seen Gwen in quite a few years and still missed her friend greatly, even as a servant, Gwen had been like a sister to her so leaving had been difficult especially when she had had to tell Gwen she couldn't come with her- it had broken her heart the day she left. Morgana and Nathaniel hadn’t seen anything or sensed anything suspicious and after a while stopped focusing on that so much, choosing to just watch a few of the matches. Watching Leon and Elyan’s winning matches while Percival and Lancelot’s matches were going to be the next day along with the King himself. After the tournament ended for the night, the four of them returned to the tavern, they ate a quick meal before heading up to their separate rooms to sleep, although Merlin and Morgana were going to be keeping watch with their magic for any disturbances throughout the night.

They woke promptly in the morning, sneaking into Merlin and Gwaine’s room to put the spell back up again, it had faded through the night and in the morning they looked like their true forms. The spell was quick and they were able to leave again to go and get some food from downstairs in the tavern before heading back up to the castle and the arena. The first thing they did was go and find Gaius, sneaking into the castle through an entrance only Merlin knew of which came up close to Gaius’s chambers and as it was early in the morning, there were far less guards around to see them and ask questions so it wasn’t hard to get there. They knocked on the door to be on the safe side, just in case Noah was still there before entering; Luckily Gaius was alone, replenishing his things for the day and looked as pleased as Merlin had never seen before, when Morgana revealed herself to him.

The Princess and the old physician spoke for a long time over a small cup of warm tea before Noah made his entrance, declaring that Gaius would soon be needed. Merlin almost laughed at how familiar the sight was, the boy loaded down with pieces of the King’s shining armour, trying to hold it all as securely as possible. There were some quick introductions, Noah knew Rowan and Juliette but he hadn’t met their friends, Brienne and Samuel so that happened before the group of them headed out of the castle to the tents, where Rowan and Juliette would be helping the knights into their armour once again. Noah left them to go and prepare the King for the tournament, almost dropping the armour as he hastened to leave. Entering the tent, every knight was there, waiting for armour, their swords or just talking and going to Percival and Lancelot wasn’t hard, Merlin becoming the servant while the other knights were around, introducing them to Brienne who the two knights in the know- recognised and they were purposefully still in just their tunics and trousers waiting for Merlin and Gwaine to help, but to keep up appearances, Morgana took over helping Percival, who leant down to whisper in her ear- under the guise of flirtation, ‘Welcome back to Camelot my Lady.’ Morgana flashed him a smile, a blush over her cheeks as she giggled to play the part, ‘Thank you Sir Knight, I’m honoured!’

Behind them, as Merlin worked on some of the straps on the back of Lancelot’s armour, she could see that Nathaniel was getting shifty, from where he was stood beside Gwaine holding onto Percival’s sword and Gwaine, who had glanced her way, held a smirk on his face as Nathaniel tried to keep from speaking out at the disguised flirtation between his love and the giant knight. Once again, they were the last set of people in the tent as the other knights and attendants left, so they were able to speak freely again and act freely; Nathaniel had taken Morgana into his arms as soon as he could, holding her round the waist in a protective, somewhat possessive way which only made everyone laugh including Morgana as she allowed the attention and Nathaniel went red from embarrassment over his actions. After some formal introductions between Nathaniel and the Knights, there was just enough time to speak about the day and how they would be working to make sure that they didn’t miss anything, before there was an announcement that it was starting and the Knights had to go again so they split off- Merlin and Gwaine going back to Gaius and Morgana and Nathaniel taking place in the stands once again. 

It was easier to watch this time round as Merlin wasn’t so anxious about seeing the King or Queen- they hadn't been around to the tent this morning, so there was little to worry about and Merlin wasn’t feeling as frightened either. There was a lot more people around, which wasn’t great since it meant that there would be even more people to keep an eye on and it wasn’t like Percival and Lancelot could keep watch as they had to be ready for their matches and theirs were before the King’s so it would be quite tricky that day but since there were a few of them who knew, keeping an eye out, Gaius included, they weren’t too bad off for it. The day started off strong, the matches went on for longer, with each set of knights working harder and harder to win the round, there were more injuries and lots of bruising and two knights had broken arms which had needed resetting.

The King had come down the box to oversee the treatment of that Knight, he was young and it was his first tournament and even though he’d come out of the round victorious, he wouldn’t be able to participate in the final rounds due to the injuries he’d sustained. Merlin fled the tent at that point, leaving Noah to help Gaius under the guise that she felt nauseous- she did though, the anxiety and the fear coming straight back, making her tense up and her breathing pick up before Morgana, sensing it from across the arena began to soothe her in her mind, telling her calming and soothing things as well as telling her that they would be going home in another two days so she wouldn’t be there forever and it helped. Merlin was able to calm down considerably before making her way back into the tent, the King thankfully having left, along with the younger knight who’d been sent back to his rooms to rest- King’s orders! Gwaine gave her a concerned look, silently asking whether or not she was alright to which she just smiled and nodded her head before helping Gaius to bandage up a knight's hand that had been scraped across the floor. 

Percival had his match first, the knight he was against from Mercia, of a similar stature and build so it was a fairly anticipated match, lots of betting could be heard around the crowd and many of the visiting Noblemen and Lords who had come to watch the tournament, were leant forward in their chairs in the box, the King also looking far more interested. From the get go, it was clear who was the better swordsman, Percival had far more skill and a natural look with the sword, whereas the other knight lacked the balance and was far less light on his feet in comparison, however, in no way could anyone say he wasn’t strong, the man attacked with strength and a driving power, truly making Percival work for it. Every hit was a sharp clang of metal against metal and the noises coming from each of the men as they fought and fought. Percival landed a hit on the man’s shoulder, a cry coming from his mouth as blood began to stream down his arm but the pain and the injury only seemed to fuel the man more, attacking even stronger.

In the sunlight you could see the sweat dripping from both their faces and their armour glinting brightly, their swords flashing with light each time they caught the rays. Percival was struggling, it could be seen in his face, the determination yet there was fatigue showing too and although he could anticipate the opposing man’s movements before they happened, it was still draining on him, the combination of the sun, the heavy armour, the new injury sustained to his stomach as the other knight swung his sword across his stomach just under his armour line, he’d cried out in pain yet made no move to forfeit the match. Eventually the King would have to call a draw, the match taking longer than most and the audience was getting close to a point of boredom so when Percival struggled through some obvious pain to get himself back into the vantage point so that he could take back the upper hand the crowd started getting excited again. He pushed and struck and moved his opponent back until the man couldn’t go any farther, pushed up against a wall of the arena with his own sword aimed at his throat and Percival’s sword positioned just under his ribs, admitting defeat with a raised hand. The crowd had gone crazy, there was a lot of cheering as well as a lot of booing, it seemed as though plenty of men had lost their wagers for the match and they weren’t pleased with the outcome. 

Before they could be treated, the two knights were first presented back in front of the King for his agreement with the outcome and he looked proud of Percival, signalling that they should be helped from the arena to be attended too. Gwaine along with Noah helped the larger man from the arena, Merlin taking hold of his sword so that they could focus on getting him to the tent quickly. Gaius was waiting with the medicines and wraps that they would need to use to help clean the wound; it was a struggle taking his upper armour off without him having to stretch, the wound quite low and still bleeding, he was in a lot of pain whenever they had to make him move, eventually getting him out of the armour and tunics until he was bare chested and they had laid him down on the cot. The wound wasn’t the biggest wound yet it was in a place that wasn’t easily healed and it was a heavy bleeder making the physicians job far harder to do.

Pieces of linen had been pressed hard onto the wound to try and stem the flow, the knight groaning lowly, trying to shift away from it. ‘Rowan, Noah, can you please hold Sir Percival down while we work, otherwise I doubt we will ever get this wound sealed properly.’ Gaius instructed, wiping over and around the wound with a mixture of spring water and antiseptic herb water to clean the area, ‘Juliette, please prepare the needle and thread, this needs to be closed as soon as possible.’ Everyone moved as instructed, wanting to lessen the amount of pain that the giant man was in; Percival was stronger at his best, but even now in agony, he was still resisting the two men trying to hold his arms and legs down. Percival never really reacted to injuries unless they were very bad that he couldn’t contain his emotions and Merlin didn’t like seeing her friend like that, she wanted to work as quickly as possible but with him moving around so much it really would be difficult, so she took a small bottle from Gaius’s bag which contained a small amount of natural chloroform Gaius had collected from some fungi and soil and moving quickly moved round to Percival’s head, uncorking the bottle and holding it under his nose, the man quickly becoming lax as he dropped into unconsciousness,

‘Well done Juliette, quick thinking but we’d better begin, there’s no telling how long he’ll be asleep for. Noah please be waiting with the bottle should that happen.’ Merlin handed the bottle to the manservant as she returned to give the needle and thread to Gaius, taking over holding the cloth with antiseptic on it to wipe down the arena as Gaius sewed the wound shut. Percival only woke once during the procedure, but with a quick sniff of the chloroform he was out like a light and Gaius worked as quickly as his age worn fingers could manage, though the stitches were still neat and secure by the time he was done; he removed excess thread and wiped his hands down in a bowl of water on the table at the side. ‘Rowan could you please get the small pot out of my bag please, inside contains a poultice I’ll use to dress the wound before wrapping it.’ The paste inside the pot was a dark green colour and thick in texture as Gaius spread an ample layer over the sight, it was full of herbs to stop infection and to decrease pain, discomfort and any swelling, wrapping the wound would be a different scenario as the knight was heavier than most due to his size so it took all four of them to help get the roll of bandages underneath his body and back out the other side so that the wound was wrapped securely, but they managed it and once he awoke, Percival would be feeling far better than he’d previously been.

Lancelot came by briefly to see Percival before his match, the giant man still a bit drowsy from being asleep and the stress of the injury but he was glad to see his friend; he wouldn’t be able to watch Lancelot’s match but he had faith in his friend and he was encouraging, yet gave words of good luck- Lance didn’t need luck, he was incredible with a sword and he knew how to work the ring to his advantage. Percival was left to rest in the tent, unable to stand for now as the wound settled with the poultice but hopefully he wouldn’t have to stay there alone for too long. 

Lancelot was faced with another knight from Mercia, an older knight called Sir Baran, with many years experience and a reputation against his name, he was covered in scars from the various battles and wielded his sword like an extension of his arm. The two knights hadn’t moved much when the match began, both waiting for the other to take their chance yet once Lancelot had decided to make moves, the older knight had no look of surprise or change in his actions as Lancelot attacked. He was far more confident in his actions and looked too calm that Merlin had to double check that he had no magical signature- no one was ever that calm during one-on-one combat, there was always a sense of nervousness and yet the knight had none and no magical link to himself. Lancelot forced him around the ring, pushing and striking whenever he could yet making no mark, no dent in his control and his confidence. Sir Baran seemed to be taunting Lancelot, he wore a smirk so smug on his face and let himself be pushed around the ring yet never took a single hit to his body and Lancelot clearly wasn't used to it, bandits and other criminals were never still long enough to taunt each other and none ever had such an arrogance about their skills in the ring as this man did.

It was only once Lancelot’s blade had come close to striking his face that he stopped looking so comfortable and smug and began attacking back, forcing Lancelot into the defensive position. Each swing of his sword powerful and hitting where they were supposed too, a hit on the armour of Lancelot’s upper arm, a near hit on his sword hand, getting far closer to the other knight than most would, almost close enough to grab a hold of the younger knight. He was also incredibly aggressive, violent as though he was aiming for places that would cause severe damage, aiming for Lancelot’s ribs, his chest, his head- places where in friendly tournaments, the blows were far less accepted and punishable if any serious injury came to an opponent, but this knight didn’t seem to care. Merlin looked up towards where the King, Queen and the visiting Noblemen, Lords and Lady’s were seated, many of them looked uncomfortable, the King and Queen’s concerned glancing sideways as each other before returning their sights to the fight before them. Even the King of Mercia, King Bayard looked fairly apprehensive, whispering to his aiding servant, never taking his eyes off of his own knight and the younger knight. In comparison to most of the rounds during the tournament so far, the crowds had been very vocal in their encouragement and their betting, yet during this match, it was as though they were all holding their breaths, everyone just watching and Merlin saw many of them wince, whenever the swords clashed together and every time Lancelot released painful sounds of exertion.

He was tired after having spent most of the match on the attack, he’d used a lot of his strength, so having to suddenly take up defending himself from vicious attacks was draining him of all his energy, even with his skills as a knight Merlin was worried. Merlin looked up at Gwaine, he looked extremely bothered, barely taking his eyes away from his friend as he quickly held eye contact with her. Lancelot was taking a real beating, breathing very heavy and he was no longer holding his sword as firm as he had been, the blade shaking in his hand. Sir Baran took his chance at ending the match, using his power and experience to knock Lancelot’s sword from his hand, the force with which it hit making Lancelot lose his footing, stumbling onto his knees, with his back turned to the opposing knight. Merlin felt a sudden panic wash over her, making eye contact with Morgana across the ring who looked just as distressed, nodding one time in silent agreement should anything happen. The standing knight was advancing on Lancelot, who remained on the floor collapsed, his sword loose and relaxed in his hand yet a wicked look was on his face, one that screamed enjoyment over the situation- his dominance over the exhausted knight as he began to raise the sword, about to strike, Merlin and Morgana bracing themselves in a swirl of magic to be released with no spell... 

‘SIR BARAN WINS. This battle is over. Gaius. Take Sir Lancelot to be treated!’ The King was on his feet, the Queen too; they both looked stern and regal, not to be opposed in that moment and Merlin could see from the look on Sir Baran’s face that he wasn’t happy to be stopped, yet he yielded with a tense bow and the lowering of his sword, stalking off to the Mercia knights tent. Merlin rushed to Lancelot’s side, taking no notice of the crowd talking around them as she knelt before him, tilting his head up so she could see his face; he was dripping with sweat and his eyes were drooping, his mouth opened trying to get in as much air as he could, ‘Lance, you’re going to be ok my friend, you’re going to be alright, we’ve got you.’ Gwaine and Noah had taken their places on either side of him, arms wrapped solidly around his body and supporting his weight as they stood him back up again and rushed to help him from the arena. There were a couple of other servants who Gwaine called for help when Lancelot’s legs failed him and even though he wasn’t the largest of men, he wasn’t weightless and the two of them could only carry so much without having his unconscious weight between them.

It was a complete rush to get him back to the tent, he was too warm and he still hadn’t regained full consciousness; Percival had sat up in shock when they rushed him in, lying him down on the other bed prepared, ‘What happened to him? Who was he fighting?’ Merlin answered, placing a rolled up robe under his head, ‘Sir B _aran_ , the vicious brute. Almost went for a strike when Lance was down, it took Arth- The King declaring the round over for him to stand down. Throughout the entire round he was taunting him, making him go on the attack so much that he was exhausted by the time his sword was knocked from his hand. He may as well have been cheating for all I care!’ She was angry, and upset and it was taking all her strength not to flash her eyes while there were other people in the tent, standing by while Gaius worked with Noah and Gwaine to get Lancelot out of his armour, to drink some water in small sips and put water cooled linens on his forehead. Percival looked angry and uneasy, ‘Sir Baran?? What is he doing here? I thought he’d been disgraced by King Bayard for his violence, but if he’s here, I must have heard wrong. However, I wouldn't put it past him to cheat, he was always known for being cruel to anyone he fought in combat, taunting them, goading them into fighting harder than needs be; he truly is a nasty piece of work.’ There were nods of agreement around the tent, a hum from Gaius as he helped coax Lancelot into drinking the last of the water he’d been given. ‘Sir Baran has always been as such I’m afraid, that was his issue and even King Bayard has struggled to control him in cases such as this and I fear that the only reason he didn’t hurt Sir Lancelot mortally was due to King Arthur’s intervention.’ He looked down at Lancelot, ‘I dread to think of another outcome that could have been.’ 

There was some noise outside the tent, a few guards entering along with the King and Queen, Merlin took a step back towards Gwaine, hiding halfway behind him, his hand coming to hold hers in reassurance, ‘Gaius, how is he?’ The King sounded worried, looking at his Knight with an expression Merlin couldn’t place, Gaius sighed, ‘He is not physically injured Sire, just exhausted and he appears to have caught heat fever- out in the sun, doing such a vigorous activity, that his body has shut down on itself until it cools down. He may be this way for most of the afternoon.’ The King let out a deep breath, as Gwen made her way over to the Knight, taking a seat beside him to run a wet linen over his face and neck. ‘He does feel frightfully hot Arthur, I’ve never seen a man with such bad heat fever. He shouldn't have to stay here, we should have him moved back up to his chambers to be looked after by some of the maids, they can keep him cool with wet linens; Gaius cannot look after him the entire afternoon during the other matches, he may be needed.’ The King nodded, listening to his Queen, ‘Yes, we’ll have someone move him, he fought most nobly and if the outcome of the match could be changed, I would, Sir Lancelot deserves better and Sir Percival’

He turned to the other knight still sitting on the other bed, ‘You fought most valiantly and I congratulate you on your victory. How do you feel now?’ The knight nodded, an arm placed gently on the site of his wound, ‘Thank you my King, I feel far more at ease now Sire, even though the wound was painful and bleed much, I feel able enough to fight tomorrow, should Gaius permit it.’ He looked determined and the King seemed reassured that his knight was well. ‘I should hope so, as long as you are fit to fight, I will not stop you. You will bring yourself honour and respect either way.’ He looked back around the tent, taking note of everyone, eyes barely staying on Merlin and Gwaine for a second before moving on, ‘I will announce this now, however, in the presence of the knight himself that Sir Baran has been taken out of the tournament!’ A wave of hushed whispering began, ‘I have spoken with King Bayard and we both are in agreement that his actions throughout the match were wrong and his inability to leave a man while he is down has shown his true colours and he is not going to be honoured with anything more than that singular win. This will be announced to the crowd soon enough but for now, I wish for everyone in this tent to keep it quiet until that moment.’ He motioned for Gwen to take his arm and with a head tilt and much bowing and curtsying from everyone else, left the tent, calling Noah after him, who hurried to leave.

Once it was only Merlin, Gwaine, Gaius, Percival and Lancelot left in the tent, there was a collective sigh of relief, ‘Thank the Goddess! I cannot begin to think how I would have felt if he’d remained in the tournament. The brute got what he deserved.’ She let out a breath, feeling herself relax at both the news and the King’s departure, ‘Yes I feel the same. He is a disgraceful man let alone a knight but we can safely say that no one else shall be hurt by him this tournament.’ Percival agreed, Gwaine nodding and Gaius humming his agreement. Yet when Merlin took a moment to think, she groaned, turning to bury her face into Gwaine’s chest, making him chuckle, ‘Merls love, what’s wrong now?’ She huffed, looking up at him, ‘Now I just need to worry about now letting the _Princess_ get hurt! Goddess give me strength!’ The three conscious men in the tent couldn’t hide their amusement, releasing teasing chuckles while Merlin pouted, Gwaine holding onto her waist, ‘Don’t worry Love, we’ll help you. Morgana and Nath are waiting to help you. You have all the help you could need.’ Merlin nodded but still felt unconvinced, ‘I may have help, yes... but you forget… we’re talking about King Arthur Pendragon. He always brings trouble!’ 


	13. Looks like it’s back to Camelot... pt.3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter yay!
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys it and I really hope it doesn't sound too rushed as I feel like I did... but hopefully not :)

There was a break after Lancelot’s match, the King explained to the audience what he’d previously told them and soon enough Lancelot was moved back up to his room, carried on a stretcher by a couple of the guards. As they made their way up to Lance’s room, Merlin heard whispers coming from a few of the servants that when Sir Baran had been told of his disqualification he’d had to be restrained by Mercia’s guards and led from the room. Merlin felt apprehensive, if that man was so angry that he couldn’t continue on in the tournament that was one thing but the fat that he had to be restrained gave Merlin an insight of how violent the man actually could be and Merlin had no idea why he’d even been allowed to come, yet seeing King Bayard’s reaction to the match, he probably had no choice but to bring him. Men like that were never to be trusted, someone who’s own King doesn’t feel comfortable around them should never be trusted.

Merlin stayed behind while Lance was moved to his bed, one of the male servants went about removing the rest of his armour and clothes so that he could be wiped down with cold water. His undergarments stayed on and soon enough some of the maid were bringing in bowls of cold water which would be used to help him cool down. Merlin felt bad that she hadn’t done anything to help him during the match but it wouldn’t be right to dwell on the fact, Lancelot wouldn’t like it so to stop feeling as such she left son after, giving him a small silent spell of protection around the room- should anything unusual try to enter the room, Merlin would know. Morgana was with Gwaine, Gaius and Percival when she came back outside talking quietly between themselves, Nathaniel wasn’t there but she wasn’t too worried, he could protect himself should he need too. ‘That knight wasn’t happy being disqualified, he had to be restrained while talking with the King and King Bayard. I heard some of the servants speaking about it while we were taking Lancelot up to his room.’ Merlin said as she came to stand beside Gaius and Morgana, The old physician frowned, thinking, ‘Well no knight is ever happy to be removed from a tournament but I’ve never seen one as angry as that in a very long time. Did anyone say where he is?’ Merlin shook her head, ‘No, I didn’t hear anything about that. If he was in the dungeons someone would have said, it’s just something you talk about as a servant- is there anyone new in the dungeons or not?’ Morgana spoke, ‘Perhaps he’s being guarded in their tent, or he’s being led out of Camelot with no one knowing, so that there is less talk from people? King Bayard obviously doesn't like the idea of one of his knights being so ruthless so he wouldn’t want a public display of it.’ the others silently agreed, thinking it over, Merlin especially didn’t like the situation, she was already annoyed since her friends were injured and knowing that the man who hurt one of them wouldn’t be able to participate in the rest of the fights should have been comforting but it was the opposite; she had quite a bad feeling over it making her very on edge. 

The king’s match was coming up quickly, there were only a few more people left to fight and as he was the only competing King in the tournament, his match was going to be the last out of them all. He was going to be against a knight the same age as him from Vynden, there wasn’t much known about the knights from that Kingdom apart from that all the other knights who had competed, had won their rounds, including William. The younger knight had done very well and all without use of his magic, just as Merlin had hoped, so it was a nice that he had won using just his skill and Merlin was sure to congratulate him on his success afterwards and watching him after she’d said that, she’d seen his face light up completely from where he was being congratulated by his fellow knights yet knew that although some of it was from their praise, that most of it was due to Emrys being pleased with him for something he’d accomplished. The knights were good and having the King versus their last remaining knight would be a great match for the crowd before the final rounds for the champion the next day. Merlin didn’t know who she wanted to win, the King winning would be a normal accomplishing outcome giving Camelot more pride, yet Merlin couldn’t find it in herself to be ok with that and the more she thought about it, the less she wanted him to win and the more she thought about it, her frustration and betrayal and the pain that he had made her feel, made her want the other knight to win. The King didn’t need to win everything, not everything needed to go his way and she was fine with that, she didn’t want him to win- but she also had a duty to protect him should anything happen, the Once and Future King needed to live if Albion was to come into its golden age. Merlin knew that Gwen would be nervous for her husband and for that she felt sympathetic but she didn’t have the same apprehensions. The King of Camelot was a skilled fighter and he would hold his own for as long as he could until he surrendered or until he won the match. Merlin didn’t care. She wanted to get out of Camelot as soon as possible, she didn’t want to have to wait until someone tried killing the man. She wanted to go home! 

The crowd was waiting with much excitement, betting and rowdy talking was going on all around the arena while everyone waited for the match to begin. As the King was going to be fighting, the Queen would be in charge of overseeing the match, taking charge for however long it lasted; she would oversee the final results, acknowledging a winner who would continue onto the next round. It was a tough thing to do, watching every second of a match no matter how long or short it was, having to watch meticulously for any illegal activity or practice during the round which would lead to an automatic disqualification, just like Sir Baran. If possible the crowd grew even louder when the two knights entered the arena, both dressed in their armour and standing tall and Merlin would give the King this- that when he was in a tournament, he treated himself just as any other knight, there were no special exceptions just because he was the King, he would fight just like any other knight. Nathaniel and Morgana hadn’t returned to the stands to sit, choosing instead to stay with everyone else, watching from the entrance. Percival was also watching with them, his strong presence behind Merlin and Gwaine, tall enough to see over their heads. He was still hurting so ever so often he would lean an arm against Gwaine’s shoulder which he tolerated as stomach injuries were never pleasant to have. The King and knight seemed well matched, both agile, strong and quick on their feet so it would be an interesting match, Morgana commenting that she didn’t know who would win for sure which everyone agreed with. Most of the matches would last for up to fifteen minutes before either a winner was chosen or the match was called-draw but a fair few of these fights had lasted longer, Percival’s, Lancelot’s and the King’s. It was so well matched that neither of them could find an opportunity to land a hit or force the other into a different position. It was getting the crowd very excited, loud and cheering brightly. Looking up at Gwen for a few minutes, she was glad that the Queen didn’t look too anxious and she seemed very invested in the match and there was a hint of a smile on her face as she was watching. Only the King’s own knights were able to keep up with him for this long so it was a good match to watch and showed just how strong the knights from Vynden were, despite how small the Kingdom was.

Merlin couldn’t be bothered watching them, she’d watched enough of his fights and they were nearly all the same, so she turned to watching the crowd. She glanced round slowly, watching every section of people so that she could take time to watch everyone. There were so many people and everyone was so energetic and moving about that she struggled but son enough she spotted something that caught her interest. There was a figure hovering close to one of the other arena entrances, they were wrapped in a clock and standing in shadow, obscuring Merlin from seeing any more of them; whoever it was, wasn’t planning on moving anytime soon she assumed, they were pressed up against the side of arena wall just watching. Merlin didn’t like it, she’d checked the man for any magic yet found no trace of any on them but it didn’t stop her from being on the careful side. Since she hadn’t been paying attention to the actual fight, she hadn’t realised that it had ended; the crowd cheering happily, ‘What’s happening?’ She turned to Gwaine who glanced down at her in surprise, ‘The Queen called-draw! The match has been going for so long that neither Knight seemed to be landing any hits whatsoever so she’s ended it. Both of them will go to the final rounds. Are you alright?’ His eyebrows were furrowed partially, Merlin looking up at him with a small smile before looking back to the cloaked man. He wasn’t there. 

Her heart started racing, looking frantically round the ring for the person, to see whether they’d taken a place just inside the stands to sit or not, ‘Gwaine, he’s not there! There was a man, wearing a dark cloak, standing right there and now he’s not there! Goddess, give me strength!’ Gwaine looked very confused and quite worried about her reaction, taking a look around the arena for someone matching her vague description as the Queen began announcing the draw on the match, both knights standing before her in the ring. Once finished with promise for a great set of championship rounds the next day, the crowd began to disperse, slowly, as the King took hand with the other knight congratulating him on the draw and his fighting. Morgana and Nathaniel must have sensed Merlin’s magic surfacing, as they both turned to look at her sharply, but before Morgana could get a word out, the cloaked man walked into the arena. The people watching the fights who had begun to leave, all turned, confused as to why this person was entering the arena when the battles were all over, especially fully cloaked. The King had just shaken hands with the Vynden knight, both of them turning to leave the arena when they’d spotted the man, he looked confused at first then looked more frustrated when he removed his cloak, dropping it to the side, revealing Sir Baran carrying a set of dual swords, raised threateningly towards the King. ‘Sir Baran, what do you think you are doing? You’ve been removed from the competition, you have no reason to be here, you should be in your rooms.’ The King spoke with decorum and calmly, yet raising his sword in what  _ should  _ have been enough warning to the other man. Sir Baran laughed grossly, a sarcastic tone that echoed loudly round the arena, ‘Think you can just cut me off like that little  _ king _ , I don’t serve anyone with the likes of you, I don’t obey anyone like you.’ He sounded angry and full of bad intent, Merlin’s magic moving around her more and more as the pendant at her chest began to dimly glow blue. ‘You think you can just get rid of me huh! That win was mine, that  _ boy _ was mine to finish and  _ I _ deserve the final prize!’ He looked wild in the eyes, in his body, spinning his swords in his hand. ‘Baran! You shall listen to me now! I have given you too much leniency over the years but now you will listen- you will leave right this..’

‘I don't listen to you, you are no king… you are a fool Bayard, a fool wearing a false crown.’ King Bayard had stood from his place in the box to try and corral his knight but after Sir Baran had spoken he looked shocked, angry yet silent as he stood there mouth open. ‘You do not speak to your King like that. He is your King and he deserves respect, guards come and take him away, place him in the dungeons so that he can think over his intentions.’ Merlin couldn’t help but panic when the King turned away from Sir Baran, intending to walk away as some of the castle guards entered the arena to try and detain the knight. Sir Baran lunged forwards with a yell towards the King, intent on striking him, yet the knight from Vynden took a moment to step in between him and his intended victim, swords clashing. The King turned, taking up a defensive stance as the Vynden knight was struck down with a slash across his chest, Sir Baran turning his sight on the King straight away now that he had no opposition to distract him. The people watching had taken fright, the air loud with scared cries as they all tried to leave, the only people left being the Queen and visiting nobility in the box. Gwen was calling for more guards, more knights to come and some of the other Lords were calling for their own knights as well to come and help. She looked incredibly alarmed, unable to do much more than stand and watch as her husband was attacked mercilessly by a treasonous knight from another Kingdom.

Morgana began speaking to her in her mind in her own state of panic,  _ ‘Merlin, what do we do? What do you want us to do?’  _ Merlin didn’t know, they’d not really got that far in the plan other than using their swords to help, ‘Gwaine GO!’ She whispered-yelled at him, pulling his sword from his scabbard and running into the ring as multiple knights were trying to fight Baran away from the King.  _ ‘Nathaniel, go too, they’ll need help! He’s a very strong man!’  _ Nathaniel gave a nod, her silent command met straight away as he ran in too, leaving the two women with Gaius,  _ ‘Merlin what do you want to do? We have no time for thinking!’ _ Morgana was right, many of Camelot’s guards and knights from the other Kingdoms were being injured, many killed, trying to keep him away from the King. Gwaine and Nathaniel were in the thick of it, working together to try and fight him, yet they were forced away as Baran roared, the same amount of animosity in him as when he’d almost tried killing Lancelot. A body passed them, Percival having rushed to get his own sword, heading into the ring to help despite being injured, to help protect his King, ‘Percival be CAREFUL!’ Gaius yelled after him, his face twisted up in a frown. ‘Merlin, what do you want to do my dear, you must act quickly.’ He spoke gently to her despite the urgency of the situation.

What could she do? She wasn’t great with a sword and there were too many people around to take notice if she was to use magic. She heard Morgana whisper something and felt the pull of magic, watching with no real reaction as a younger knight conveniently tripped, causing Baran’s sword to miss his head as he carried on with his rampage; she did the same with a couple other knights. Merlin spotted William enter the ring, a look of determination on his face even though she could sense his fear and it woke her up. She wasn’t going to lose Will again- William wasn’t going to die, Gwaine wasn’t going to die, Percival wasn’t going to die… Arthur wasn’t going to die today! When she finally came round back into full awareness, many of the knights were on the floor, how many of them were dead, Merlin didn’t know but she was relieved that Gwaine, William and Percival were all still standing, along with Leon, Elyan and the King. Yet at that moment, the King was faced with Sir Baran, looking just as enraged and insane as he had before, they were face to face, swords clashing as Baran forced the King around the arena. Merlin looked at Morgana, her eyes were blue and she was whispering under her breath, her eyes locked on Nathaniel as he held onto his side in pain, gradually looking better as he was able to straighten up, looking back at them with a reassuring smile. A knight from Essetir still standing tried to make an attack from behind yet he was struck down no sooner than Baran had twisted one of his swords. Many more tried making attacks, from varying kingdoms and it was much the same result- Baran was too strong for them. Other men were just pushed away, like Percival feeling the weight of his injuries that Baran played with, Percival couldn't get back up. Elyan took place kneeling beside him, keeping him from getting back up, speaking to him lowly but Merlin didn’t care much for what was being said, she had a plan to complete. 

It couldn’t have come at a more dire time- Baran was forcing the King back into a wall from of the arena and it was the look of fear on his face that really had Merlin moving.  _ ‘Brienne, Samuel, William, do you trust me!?’  _ She called through the mental link, bringing the four of them together; A chorus of agreement gave her courage to move, running forward into the ring, ending up some ways behind the crowd of down and standing knights, Baran and the King.  **‘I call upon the Triple Goddess, with your children so that we may do your bidding through your power. Help us Goddess, help me, your daughter, your creation, your Emrys! The Once and Future King must live!’** She had yelled into the air, drawing the eyes of everyone in the arena her way, including Baran who was closing in against the King. She could feel power, more power than she possessed moving throughout her, the link between her and the other three magic entities magnified. Her eyes flashed, yet her vision was white and she could feel heat from the pendant on her chest, glaring blue through the haze of white she could see; her feet moved from the ground and she found herself floating in the air along with the presence of the other three beside her,  _ ‘Emrys, what is going on?!!’ _ William sounded terrified in her mind, Morgana and Nathaniel in a similar state,  _ ‘Trust me, we are all safe. The Goddess will protect you!’  _ She stopped speaking then, turning her eyes onto the people below, each looking on in varying amounts of awe, fear and at a loss for words. There were guards and a few knights who staggered back, falling to the ground and Merlin could just about make out where the King and Baran were standing. With a voice that wasn’t just her own, words poured from her resoundingly, filling the air, ‘You have committed the gravest of sins known to the Old Religion; the attempted murder and attack against the Once and Future King is unforgivable. The Triple Goddess will not accept the destruction of destiny set before Emrys and her King. For this crime, there is no redemption. Sir Baran you shall not prosper, you shall have no honour, you shall hold no claim to life.  _ YOU. ARE. DONE _ !’ A thousand voices coursed through her, the power behind the voices pulling the air around the four of them, as Sir Baran looked absolutely terrified, swords dropped from his hands as he begged and begged for forgiveness, for life; a crack splintered the air and Merlin could feel the wonder of the Triple Goddess make itself known. 

Her body arched, head tipped up towards the sky and her arms spread wide as there was a warm feeling of protection that moulded itself around her and from the emotions she felt from the others she knew it was happening to them too,  _ ‘My children… you have served us well. Do not fear, for all that should be is in place. You are protected and you are rewarded and you are loved. Our children, Our Emrys, we are proud of you all.’ _ The white haze across Merlin’s eyes left her sight as she felt herself being lowered to the ground, exhaustion overwhelming her as she found herself held in the arms of someone, ‘Juliette, love! Juliette!’ It was Gwaine, her own Gwaine- he would always catch her. She couldn't’ focus on anything over than an unbearable silence, yet through their link she could feel the others, each one struggling with the after effects of such a powerful experience. ‘What is going on here?’ The King’s voice was piercing and cut through the silence ringing in Merlin’s ears. Turning from looking up at Gwaine’s anxious face, she saw the King, the Queen, Sirs Leon and Elyan standing together along with an entire group of the noblemen and many, many knights. Yet she couldn’t see Sir Baran anywhere; what had the Goddess done? 

She looked around her as much as she could from Gwaine hold on her, trying to find the other three, to make sure that they were alright. Since she was beginning to struggle, Gwaine leant down to whisper into her ear, ‘Merlin love, calm down. They’re all fine, Percy is with Morgana and Nathaniel, Gaius is with William, calm down love.’ Having some sense that her friends were alright, she tried her hardest to focus back on the large group of people around them, the King standing at the front of it all, looking very put out and fearful which Merlin didn’t understand so much, she still felt strange. ‘I won’t ask another time… what in God’s name is going on? Magic has no place in Camelot, yet you have used it so outwardly.’ Gwaine was holding Merlin as close as possible, arms tense where they held her, ready to stand to protect her if he needed too. She laid a hand on his arm gently, signalling him to calm down as well as trying to get up from where she was sprawled on the ground in the sand and dirt; standing up although her knees were weak and she had no strength to hold her up, thankful of Gwaine’s steadying hands on her waist and she could see Percival steadying Morgana and Nathaniel as they held each other and William was standing with some support from the old physician. Each one of them looked in absolute awe yet she could sense through them some slow fading fear. Finally though she turned to face the King and Queen, trying to hold herself as strong as she could as she spoke, her voice coming out rough and fatigued. ‘None of us are users of magic my Lord and in truth, sire, I cannot even remember what has transpired, I have no recollection since your fight with the fallen knight. I don't know what’s happened at all.’ The King frowned, obviously not believing her, turning to look at the other three, ‘What she speaks is true sire, I have no recollection of what’s happened, I just feel exhausted; as though my body hasn’t been mine.’ Morgana spoke, taking a quick glance at Merlin, before looking back at her unaware brother. Nathaniel and William said similar things and Percival spoke too, confirming their story, being friends with them from before Camelot. Gwaine was also asked and he said the exact same things as everyone else. Nearly all of the remaining Vynden knights stood up for William, including their Lord which seemed to surprise the King, he was obviously sure that their Lord would be just as angry as he was.

The King seemed troubled, looking at Gwen in silent conversation which Merlin didn’t care about, she felt as though she could sleep for eternity at this point. Merlin spent a moment to speak with the others,  _ ‘I’m sorry for not warning you beforehand, I must say that I wasn’t even sure that it would work or that she would answer my call, no matter my connection to her. Forgive me?’  _ Morgana answered quickly,  _ ‘Emrys, you don’t have to apologize, you asked whether we trusted you and we all answered yes. I’ve just never felt something so powerful in my entire life! Her voice, just the sound of it made me feel so safe and protected but she also sounded so powerful, formidable that I- I don’t know how to describe it!’  _ She trailed off, Nathaniel speaking too, _ ‘We would have stood by you either way Emrys, it’s our role in life, but I agree with Brienne, that experience was very intense, something that I don’t think I’ll ever forget!’  _ Short and sweet, just like Nathaniel,  _ ‘I agree with them, I felt safe in both yours and the Triple Goddess’s presence, it was warm, comforting and I’m glad you found me worthy to help you, that’s all I can say Emrys.’ _ He sounded amazed, and young and the truth she could feel from him made her happy,  _ ‘William, I think you have earned the rights to my name, given how courageous you were, even in the instance you lost a fellow knight. Should you ever need me from this point on, you can call on Merlin. I may be Emrys but I’m Merlin first.’  _ She could feel his surprise, happiness, sadness and pride,  _ ‘Thank you Emrys- Merlin. It’s an honour!’  _ Morgana also chose to reveal her identity along with Nathaniel and Merlin was amused at how humble and reserved William got, knowing he was in the presence of Lady Morgana; he obviously knew much about her if his physical blush was anything to go by. 

‘How am I supposed to believe you? While you may have people who can say something for you, I still saw you perform magic and there should be consequences for that. It’s inexcusable.’ Merlin didn’t know how to react, being as tired as she was yet still could feel the race of magic that pushed through her as the Triple Goddess spoke her mind, eyes flashing bright gold this time, ‘This body is a vessel for Emrys. The witch of time foretold and the magic that will bring Albion into the golden age Arthur Pendragon. You have no place commanding Emrys when she saves your life, you have no place commanding the Triple Goddess who’s granted you life time and time again. Emrys will someday bring you into the light.’ Her eyes faded once again, Merlin sinking further into Gwaine’s hold as Morgana and Nathaniel rushed over to her side, Percival just behind them with Gaius. ‘Juliette, look at me! Look at me dear..’ Gaius said, ignoring the crowd of people to check on her, the Triple Goddess using that much power through Merlin wasn’t something that happened lightly. ‘I just want to sleep.. Need sleep..’ Morgana ran a hand over her forehead, ‘You can sleep as soon as we get back to the tavern, don’t sleep now, don’t close your eyes!’ Morgana turned to look at the King and Queen and various Lords, ‘Please my King, we have shown that none of us have been in control since you were attacked. This proves it; My friend has never shown any magical ability in all the years we have known each other and we wouldn’t be so foolish to come to Camelot knowing how much you despise magic, if any of us did! Please your majesty, let us leave. We are all exhausted from the control the magic had over us and Sir William will need rest if he is to fight tomorrow! My King, magic protected you today! Magic protected you!’ She sounded nearly hysterical, all her energy draining as Nathaniel held onto her, yet at the same time she also sounded wise and regal, royal, like a Princess should.

The King looked shocked at the heartfelt outbreak, hand holding Gwen’s tight like a lifeline, something grounding. She was tugging on his arm ever so with her other hand, making him look at her as she quietly spoke with him for a few minutes. There was a tense silence over the arena, sadly full of dead, honourable men and living, frightened silent men and women. The small group with the exhausted men and women and their friends and the large group of nobility and knights, all very ready to move on the King of Camelot's command. The King and Queen finished talking together, looks of weariness and stress on both their faces as the King waved them away, ‘You are free to leave, go back to the tavern and rest but it would be easier if you all left tomorrow morning, the earliest you can. There is much that I don’t understand and I don’t trust you, so be pleased with this outcome and go. Sir Percival can go with you until tonight when he must return and if you wish you may visit Sir Lancelot once before you leave. Only because you are friends, no more, no less. Guinevere and I have also decided that after today, the rest of the tournament shall be cancelled so all our sakes. Go, rest your knights and instead of the remaining tournament, I will give you access to training and the feast tomorrow night will take place as scheduled. That is all, but for now I want some guards to come and take care of the dead and Gaius to look at all the injured men along with the other physicians.’ He took a hard look at them for a few moments, ‘I honestly don’t understand what has occurred today- one minute I’m fighting a match in a tournament, then I’m being attacked by a rogue knight, and the next I have people with no history of magic floating before me in the air, performing magic- powerful magic which they should not possess, to protect me and the other knights is dead, gone.. I don’t know whether to thank you four or the being that controlled you.’ He sighed deeply, turning away from everyone to walk out the arena, not looking back at them when he spoke, ‘But I thank you and that's all I can do. I don’t trust it and I don’t want it here.’ He left the arena, Gwen a few paces behind him after giving the group a relieved and kind smile. Many of the Lords and knights followed on, the Vynden Lord and knights coming over to take William from where he was standing wavering on his feet. There was a hushed conversation between them all as he was escorted away, throwing a wary look at all of them as they passed. 

‘You all need to go back and sleep. Seriously sleep as I don’t know how to help you otherwise. I’m afraid that this is way above my expertise as a healer.’ Gaius rested an old bony hand on Merlin and Morgana’s cheeks comforting them gently, briefly resting his hand on Nathaniel’s shoulder to check he was alright. The girls nodded in agreement tiredly, ‘Sounds like a good idea to me, I’ll help them back to the tavern and come back to help with.. All of them.’ Percival said, quickly looking over the bodies on the ground, as he caught an arm around Morgana as her knees buckled, ‘Oh, be careful Princess, go slowly.’ He turned to Nathaniel, looking just as tired, ‘Do you mind?’ He questioned, motioning to pick Morgana up, Nathaniel shook his head slowly, putting up no argument while Gwaine picked up Merlin. The five of them bid farewell to Gaius before slowly heading back to the tavern through town, trying to ignore the staring they received from a few people on the way there. 

Once safely in their rooms and Percival had left back to the castle, Merlin spoke with Morgana and Nathaniel before they both fell into unconsciousness, assuring them that there would be no residual harm to their magic or bodies once they woke again. She also managed to speak with William as he was helped by his fellow knights and Lord before he slept too. Gwaine was kind to her,  helping her remov e her outer clothing, tucking her into the bed as much as he could making sure she was comfortable against his chest. Even though she could barely keep her eyes open, he was there holding her close and stroking her hair, whispering to her that he would look after her, that she was alright and that finally allowed her to give into the pull of sleep. 


	14. A normal tournament

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter for you to read! I'm sorry it's later than t normally would be but I was spending a bit more time on editing it.
> 
> After some suggestion, I have also decided to change up how I structure each chapter, so from no on I will be trying to make it easier to read for everyone and I hope it is easier to read since I want you all to enjoy it.
> 
> But with that being said, here it is and I hope you enjoy! :)

Light streamed through one of the windows in the King and Queen’s quarters as the drapes were pulled away from them, servants moving quietly through the room to prepare clothes, food and drink for the royal couple. Noah moved just as quietly until he called out to his King softly to wake them up for the day ahead of them.

‘We have to get up Guinevere dear, it’s the beginning of the tournament today. Everyone will be arriving soon enough.’ Even as he was saying that they had to get up, he was still burying his head further into the softness of the pillows under his head, holding his wife even closer. His voice was rough from no use through the night and his eyes refused to open willingly. ‘We can take five more minutes Arthur, no one will mind.’ She sounded just as tired, yawning halfway through her sentence, making Arthur chuckle. ‘Yeah five more minutes sounds good, but the food smells better don’t you think?’ Gwen tilted her head away from his shoulder, to prop herself up on her elbows so that she was looking down on him, her hair a mass of curls and face peaceful and content, ‘I guess I could eat something your majesty.’ As she went to get up, Arthur pulled her back down to place a small kiss on her lips, ‘Good morning my love!’ She smiled down at him, placing another peck on his lips, ‘Good morning Arthur. Come on let’s eat before Noah comes back.’ Another kiss before finally climbing from the bed, Arthur watched her for a moment as she stretched, the sun creating a soft glow around her figure, the bronze in her skin looking sun kissed against the white of her nightgown, before he finally arose to join her at the table. 

A short breakfast later, Noah had arrived along with a couple of Gwen’s maids to help them dress for the day. Since Arthur wasn’t fighting that day, he forewent his full armour, wearing only some of his smarter clothes, red tunic and trousers along with his long length over coat on top. He had time to go and see all of the knights before having to go and speak with the Lords they would be hosting throughout the duration of the tournament. He left Gwen with a kiss as her maids began to help wash her hair for her, leaving the room with only his sword and Noah trailing behind obediently until they came to the library, since Noah had to write a speech for Arthur that evening at the opening feast for the visitors. Noah had been given an idea about how much he had to write and a couple of things that Arthur wanted him to include. With Noah gone to work on the speech, Arthur was able to make his way out of the castle and down to the mass of tents supplied for the knights to use, easily finding the one for his knights to use. Upon entering, there was a flurry of servants rushing around helping knights into their armour and there were a number of them picking on the younger, newer knights which had Arthur grinning to himself as he found the Knights of the Round Table sitting at the back of the tent. Leon was in his armour, he always put his on in his chambers and Elyan was having his put on, Lancelot and Percival were waiting, the four knights talking casually, Leon noticed him first, bowing respectfully, the other knights tilting their heads in respect as he joined them. ‘Good morning everyone, I hope you are all feeling prepared for the day.’ They nodded calmly. Arthur knew that Leon and Elyan both had their matches today and depending on the time taken for each match they’d have to see how long it would take before Percival and Lancelot’s matches, but it was most likely going to be the next day.

They spoke for a while, Arthur instructing Leon to go and speak with each group of knights and wish them well during the tournament. He was reliable and Arthur knew his first knight would get it done quickly and with good intent. Leon was a calming presence against all his knights, level headed and good at taking orders- he’d been with Arthur for a very long time, assigned by Uther to help train Arthur and prepare him into being a very good knight and guiding him as the Prince. 

Arthur had noticed that over the weeks running up to the tournament, that Lancelot and Percival had seemed a bit anxious, they spent more time on patrols, even when they didn’t need to and there was plenty of time where they would disappear to speak with Gaius for a few hours at a time. They also trained more frequently, going down to the field to train in the late evening when most of the knights were having their evening meal. Arthur put it all up to the stress of the tournament, both of them were going to be extra prepared for their matches. 

He’d been speaking with the whole group of knights- to give them some encouragement and give them some tips if possible, but most of the knights had been doing tournaments since Arthur was only a boy so many of them didn’t even need it, the knights of Camelot were some of the best and it was shown quite well during tournaments- for quite a while that Arthur had forgotten he was supposed to be going to speak with the other Lords before he had to open the tournament for the day, and only Gwen’s entrance into the tent reminded him. Guinevere looked stunning, she always was a beautiful woman, as a servant Arthur often saw her as a pretty girl but since he’d begun noticing her in a romantic way and she had been crowned Queen, she had grown in both grace and beauty. Her elegance and kindness only added to her beauty. The dress she was wearing was a deep red colour, not as bright as Camelot red, yet just as gorgeous against the bronze of her skin. Her maids had dressed her up well, her hair was freshly washed, shining, and fragrant with rose water, her gold circlet against her temple for status and a light brushing of rose powder against her cheeks and tint on her lips to complete her look. She truly looked like the Queen of Camelot and Arthur couldn’t take his eyes from her as she made her way to his side to take his arm. ‘Arthur, my King, we must go and speak with the other Lords now before the tournament. You don’t want to keep them waiting any longer do you?’ Arthur silently berated himself for forgetting, casting a grateful look at her. ‘No of course not. I got caught up speaking with the men, forgive me my Queen. I hope to see you all ready soon enough, over the next few days you must do your best to make Camelot proud, as I’m sure you will. Good luck.’ He bid them all goodbye as Gwen and he left the tent, a couple of their guards following a little behind. 

‘Thank you my love, I fear if you hadn't come, I wouldn’t have remembered at all to meet with the other Lords. Now that you’ve got me, I won’t have a chance to offend any of them will I?’ Gwen chuckled, smiling up at him. ‘You would be late to almost everything if it wasn’t for me my dear!’ Arthur faked offence, about to reply when Gwen frowned, turning her head towards a spare tent some distance away. ‘Did you hear that?’ Arthur looked over too, focusing on it as they slowly walked closer. Crying, he could hear crying and as Gwen heard it, along with some soft muttering, they rounded to the side of the tent. There was a man and woman standing there, and at a moment's glance, Arthur felt angry, thinking the man was hurting the woman, his hand going for his sword but taking another second to look at them he could see the woman tucked into the man's chest, clinging to him as she cried. He, in return, was rubbing circles on her back, his face against her hair. Gwen spoke, not one to let someone suffer, whatever the reason, ‘Is everything alright? Are either of you in need of a doctor?’ 

The two people froze, the woman’s crying dying down instantly and the man snapped his head up to look at them, his hold on the woman tightening and holding her head to his chest as he stared for a moment, ‘I apologise my Queen, neither of us are in no need of a doctor, only my wife has had some distressing news from a relative this morning which has caused her some great upset. We did not mean to cause such a sight, if it is also causing you distress your majesty.’ He tipped his head fractionally and Artur noticed how he was only looking at the Queen, taking no moment to look at him which Arthur found unusual but didn’t question as Gwen spoke again, he knew she was concerned from the tone in her voice, ‘You aren’t causing a sight I assure you. News that causes pain cannot be dealt with in silence or on your own so it is no reason to apologise. I was just coming to collect the King to come and speak with some of the visiting royalty and nobles, wasn’t I Arthur? Otherwise you’d be late if I hadn’t taken you from the Knights.’ She had turned to look at him, but Arthur was looking at the woman in her husband's arms, at the mere mention of him, she seemed to have frozen even more, if that was even possible, and it looked as though she was trying to bury herself into his chest and she appeared to be shaking as well.

Her husband had increasingly tightened his grip on her and for a moment, Arthur thought he glared at him. ‘Yes Guinevere, I know I would have been late, however we had to stop when we heard your wife crying. What are your names?’ He asked, keeping his voice light so that the two people would hopefully feel more comfortable. ‘My name is Rowan and my wife’s name is Juliette.’ Rowan said, he had quite a rough voice and there seemed to be a defensive edge to it as he spoke, Arthur didn’t understand but since the man’s wife was upset it was clear why he was feeling like that. He found himself humming in acknowledgement with Gwen before she spoke once again. ‘Juliette, could you turn to face me please?’ Gwen had taken her handkerchief from a small pocket sewn into the top of her skirt and was holding it in her hand as they waited hopefully for the young woman to turn. Arthur could see the both of them take a breath, Rowan loosening his hold on her so that she could turn in his arms to face them, stepping slightly out of Rowan’s space. 

Arthur felt a bit taken back, Juliette was a very pretty young woman, even though her face was streaked with tears and she wasn’t smiling, there was a brightness in her eyes; they were a piercing blue colour which he could have sworn he’d seen somewhere else before but he had never met these people before- he would have remembered them. Gwen stepped forward to gently wipe the tears from her face, ‘You are too pretty to be crying.’ Juliette flushed, a minor smile appearing on her face much to Gwen delight, ‘There we are, so beautiful now you’re smiling.’ That made her flush even more as Gwen tucked the handkerchief into her hand, before she came back to his side, ‘Thank you my Queen, you are most kind.’ He saw her blush at the compliment, a small smile gracing her face. Arthur still needed to know something however, ‘I have a question.’ The smile which had appeared on Juliette’s face vanished as soon as he spoke and she stepped back so that she was behind her husband, partially hiding behind him, who in turn had stood more upright, pulling his height up to its limits, ‘Yes Sire?’ Rowan sounded a bit angry, and Arthur really felt quite concerned as he had no idea why this stranger was being so defensive, yet he carried on to ask his question, ‘I don’t recall seeing either of you before. Are you servants here in Camelot?’.

There was a moment of hesitation before Juliette spoke, the first time she was actually addressing him and not Gwen as she previously had done. ‘No sire, we were brought in just for this tournament, and we are to help your Knights into their armour, Sire and after the tournament we shall be leaving again.’ Her voice was shaky as she spoke but she’d been crying previously so Arthur couldn’t really blame her for that. He looked at them for a few moments, taking in their appearances and looking for any tell of lying, finding none, before nodding, motioning them towards the knights tent, ‘Well you had better get on with it then, I’m expecting them to be ready in 15 minutes for the start of the tournament. Let’s go Guinevere, don’t want to keep those nobles waiting– and thank you in advance for your services over the next few days.’ The two servants bowed and curtseyed respectively as Arthur and Gwen took their leave towards where they would be briefly meeting with the other nobility. 

Arthur kept thinking of the two servants as they walked, there was something familiar that he couldn’t place but at the same time he was very sure he had never had an encounter with either of them. ‘She was a very pretty woman, don’t you think Arthur?’ Gwen asked, no hint of jealousy in her voice, ‘Yes she was pretty, innocent looking too. How that brooding, rough man got a good woman like her I will never understand.’ Gwen chuckled, amused, ‘I could see it, he was a  _ very _ pleasing sight I must say. Suited her; A girl with innocence like that needs someone without it, someone who can look after her properly and protect her as he should but I can agree he seemed fairly brooding, especially with you my love.’ Arthur felt the shameful twinges of jealousy at her speaking of another man as  _ pleasing _ but he understood the point she was making. ‘Yeah there was something a bit strange about that I think, the girl froze when she heard my voice, and I swear I saw him glare at me once or twice. I don't really understand why or if I was just imagining it.’ Gwen thought for a moment, smiling at a passing maid who greeted them, ‘I’m not sure to be honest, truthfully I was more concerned with Juliette, the poor girl seemed very upset when we first saw them, but it’s possible he could have just been feeling a bit more protective, due to her emotional vulnerability at the time. I know someone else like that too…’ She smirked up at him saying that, making him roll his eyes at her jokingly. 

Speaking with the visitors went quickly, which Arthur was grateful for, it could get pretty tiresome after a while, so knowing that he had to go to lead all the knights into the arena was a blessing in disguise as duty. He left Gwen with a kiss as she would be hosting all the visitors into the Royal box before Arthur could join them once again after his introduction for the tournament to begin. He had called for all his competing knights to accompany him and had asked for them to all be called into position before they had to go into the arena, he’d been speaking with Leon about something when Lancelot and Percival turned up, joined by two people, Arthur looked over about to speak when he saw Lancelot give a hug to the woman, Juliette, a rather intimate embrace for a knight and servant who was new to Camelot- perhaps he should speak with the knight about such affairs later, he raised his eyebrow in question. Lancelot looked momentarily stunned but Juliette spoke quickly before Lancelot could, ‘I apologize Sire, my husband and I met Sirs Lancelot and Percival on our travels a few years ago and they are good friends, even though we are only servants in name, they protected us from bandits. I apologise for my display of improper etiquette.’ 

Percival had clapped Rowan on the back in a friendly gesture along with putting a hand on Juliette’s shoulder gently, likely trying not to press too hard onto her, his strength something he struggled with on occasion. Arthur didn’t say anything for a moment, taking in what she had said and looking for any discomfort on either of their faces but he couldn't find any, other than Juliette’s discomfort at speaking with him, it appeared that she was shaking slightly. Seeing how everything was good between a group of friends he answered, ‘They are good men, good knights, I have no doubts that they would have helped you both in trouble. I’m just surprised you found each other here ‘tis all.’ Another servant came to his side, taking away his attention to announce that they were all ready to enter the arena, and when he looked back again, the two servants had gone and Lancelot and Percival were talking with Elyan and a couple of other knights. 

Speaking to the crowd after entering the arena, Arthur said the same speech he’d made last tournament, a couple of tweaks here and there but it was practically the exact same one he always used; it was too much bother to write another one each time when the old one was perfectly reasonable in length and content. He wanted to keep it short enough that it wasn’t boring and he wanted it just long enough to get the crowd fired up for the  beginning  matches.

That first day of matches had been good, some of them were quite long and Arthur enjoyed watching all of them, taking notice of all the techniques that other knights used which he could eventually use with his own knights during training. There were a few injuries that were dealt with swiftly, the various physicians tending to their knights and occasionally assisting opposing knights from the arena to help each other when it was needed. A show of comradery between the different kingdoms. Gwen was enjoying it too, not so much the men being injured but the overall fighting to find the best knights, that was what she enjoyed and throughout most of the matches she was watching almost as intently as Arthur.

The opening feast that evening also went well, the hall was filled with the visiting knights and all their Kings and Lords which made for a very nice evening, especially since most of the other Kings and Lords were enjoying the tournament as much as he was. He made a speech which Noah had given him half an hour before the feast was supposed to be starting; it was a good speech, simply written yet sounded grand when he’d read through it himself and for that he’d given Noah an hour for himself before he had to come and attend Arthur during the meal. The knights who had fought throughout that day were having a very good time, drinking lots of ale and having fun flirting with some of the serving girls who were serving drinks and food around the room, he’d seen a couple get pulled onto knights laps for a few minutes before the girls were called away for a break with flushed red faces.

He was proud of his knights and Leon and Elyan- both had won their matches fairly quickly and without injury so he allowed them and his other winning knights some leeway to have more drink than he’d normally allow on a tournament day, but the knights who still had to compete the next day were limited to only a couple of cups of ale. The evening was nice, Gwen had struck up conversation with the wife of one of the visiting knights, who was also their healer alongside her brother, who was the lead physician and they had a very nice time speaking until the feast began winding down and everyone began to leave to go back to their temporary living spaces for the tournament. 

Arthur led Gwen back to their rooms, the pair of them walking slowly, in no need to rush back. As they’d dismissed their servants for the night, the couple helped each other get ready for bed, Arthur brushed Gwen’s hair after gently taking it down from its hairstyle and Gwen made him laugh as she ran her hairbrush through his hair after he had finished with hers. All wrapped around each other and tucked up under their covers, they talked about everything and anything, not yet feeling tired enough to sleep and while they spoke, Arthur let his mind wander back to the couple of servants they’d encountered that day; The man who was stern looking and very protective and the woman, pretty, vulnerable and seemingly scared to speak with him or even look at him for too long. ‘Guinevere. Those servants, did you perhaps feel like you knew them at all? I couldn’t help but feel as though I had, even though I am convinced I’ve never seen either of them before.’ Gwen hummed, looking up at him for a moment thinking, before answering, ‘There was a moment where something was familiar but I don’t recall them either. It’s possible that we could have passed them on the road one time but like you, I don’t think I had seen them before.’ Arthur sighed, leaning to press a kiss to Gwen’s temple, ‘Well, we have no reason to dwell on it now. The rest of the qualifying matches are tomorrow so we’d better get some sleep.’ Gwen nodded against his chest, ‘Yes, we want you at your best, goodnight Arthur.’ He gave her a light squeeze, ‘Goodnight Gwen.’

They were woken at a similar time the next morning, Noah was preparing his clothes for him to wear under his armour and he would be going to collect it from being polished as soon as the King and Queen’s food had been brought up and laid out for them. Arthur was grateful for his servant, the boy worked hard and he was far better now than when he first came into service in the castle. Noah took a while to come back, but when he did, he looked absolutely weighed down, hurriedly explaining his reasoning for being late, he’d met with Gaius, along with the two new servants, Rowan and Juliette and their friends Brienne and Samuel who were also helping them with knights armour and he’d been so distracted with them that he’d made it nearly the entire way down to the knights tent before remembering that he was supposed to be up here helping him! Even though he’d been talking for a while since he’d got back to their quarters, he’d managed to get most of Arthur’s armour on and secure which had Arthur quite impressed.

This time Arthur waited with Gwen for her to be dressed before heading down to the arena. She had chosen an outfit that wasn’t as spectacular as the day before, going for one of her many light purple dresses, much easier to move around with, less weighted and it had less detailing but it was still beautiful on her and this time she had a silver circlet resting against her temple, one which was twisted and fairly simple yet elegant at the same time, just like Gwen. 

There were people bustling around near the arena, many servants running around trying to find different knights holding onto pieces of armour or holding onto a couple of swords and all of them looked stressed, making Arthur think about rewarding them all after this tournament was done for all their hard work- perhaps hold a feast for the servants in thanks, he’d talk to Gwen about it later. They greeted the other visitors once again before Gwen asked for all the knights to be told to be ready for the day to begin. Gwen was overseeing a few of the matches that day so she could be prepared for Arthur’s own match later on in the day. They took their places in the royal box as they had yesterday and Arthur very briefly spoke to the crowd as he waited for a signal that all the knights were ready to begin. 

The matches were strong yet again and fairly long in comparison to some tournaments where matches could end after only a few minutes. Many of them were going for five to ten minutes at a time, something which made the day more interesting. There were a few injuries, mostly cuts and scrapes however a couple of knights broke their arms during their matches- one of which had been one of his knights. 

Arthur had admittedly flinched when a resounding snap echoed around the arena, his knights crying out in pain even as he’d struggled on fighting and eventually winning. The King was proud yet concerned since the knight had been one of his youngest knights to be recruited recently at the tender age of nineteen summers old. He halted the next match for a little bit of time to go and see the boy as Gaius treated him, ‘Leo, how did you manage to do that? There was a perfectly good block you could have used out there you know!’ The boy had flushed in embarrassment even as Arthur had grinned at him, ‘I’m sorry Sire, I lost focus for a moment however, I found an opening with which I could disarm him so I took it.’ Someone exited the tent behind him, but he didn’t turn to find out who, ‘Yes that was a brilliant play at the end there, well done. Now Gaius, what is to be done with Leo’s injury? Is it serious?’ Gaius nodded, holding Leo’s arm in a gentle grasp as Noah was preparing some sedatives and pain relieving herbs behind the young knights back as the physician prepared to realign his arm- bent at a odd angle, ‘The bone is out of line Sire, however as there is no penetration of the skin I should be able to put the bone back into its correct position with some help form Noah here. However with an injury such as this, I doubt that Sir Leo will be able to compete without doing further damage. It is in professional opinion that he shouldn’t partake in tomorrow’s final.’ 

The young knight went to protest, looking at both Gaius and him with a hurt and upset look on his face yet a warning look from Arthur made him sit still, even though he was wincing with pain from his broken arm. ‘If that is what you feel Gaius, I won’t dispute it and neither will Leo. Once Gaius has tended to you, I want you to go back to your room and rest. You’ll be no good with a permanent injury from this so early on as a knight’ He softened at the disheartened look on the boy's face, ‘I plan to keep you as a knight of Camelot for as long as I can and Leo?’ He looked up at Arthur, ‘I’m proud of you, what you managed today, I’m not disappointed, you did very well. I hope you know that?’ Leo smiled up at Arthur, nodding quickly at the praise, looking very much like the young man he was in that moment until the pain of straightening his arm slightly caused the smile to become a grimace. ‘I’ll leave you in Gaius’s capable hands, remember, I want you resting afterwards!’ Noah had finally found the right herbs, shoving them under Leo’s nose as he went to say goodbye to Arthur, which had him rather wanting to scold the man, had it not been for Gaius’s unexpected pulling of his arm. The hurt that Leo sounded as though he was in made Arthur forget what he was thinking and so quickly left before he intervened, passing Rowan on the way out, the man watching in sympathy of the knight's pain. He had a quick thought about where Juliette was but he had no time to focus on that due to having to announce the next match.

There was a fast paced match after the short pause in the tournament, two knights from smaller kingdoms who were well matched yet one of the men was quicker, effectively ending the match after only a small amount of time in the ring. Arthur had seen that the winning knight’s Lord looked very pleased and when Arthur asked him, he’d been told that it was he knight’s last tournament before he retired as a knight and that he’d fought for many years by this time and was ready for the easy life. Arthur understood that feeling, he’d seen many of his father’s knights retire from active knighthood, even though he still saw them around Camelot. He praised the Lord for having such a fine knight and the Lord had similar praises for Arthur’s own knights, a praise that added to Arthur’s ego ever so slightly.

When the announcement that Sir Percival’s fight was coming up, Arthur could hear that the crowd were making wagers, many thought that Percival would win, whereas many thought that the other knight from Mercia was going to win. Arthur leant down to whisper in Gwen’s ear, ‘Who do you think is most likely to win? While I have full confidence in Percival, that other knight looks very similar to him so I’m unsure at the moment.’ Gwen made a small noise, ‘It does seem like it will be a close round. Percival is one of our best knights and he always does well in training and in other tournaments we’ve had but that knight does look quite strong and if he is as skilled as Percival then I really don’t know.’ With that, the royal couple turned back to face the arena, just as Percival and the competing knight came to stand before them awaiting the signal to begin the round. 

Percival fought very well, he moves with speed and power, yet it was clear to Arthur that he wasn’t even using the fullest of his abilities with this other knight, he was only using a fraction of his skills, however even with that being said, the rival knight was putting him through his paces, he was strong and a driving power against Percival. There were many times their blades crossed, and many times where near hits were taken although many of them came to nothing, just a blade through air. With the sun it was also quite warm, so both of the knights were sweating profusely which could make it difficult to grip onto the handle of their swords so to see who would be able to hold on the longest was going to be interesting. Arthur watched intently as his knight moved round the ring, watching all his techniques and in his head deciding what would be best in future training sessions to fit the knight better.

He had a very small grin on his face when Percival managed to land a hit on the rival knight's shoulder, one of the only places the knights had left unarmoured. There was a small cry of pain from the other man as he rolled his shoulder, a pained scowl on his face as he seemed to attack even harder than previously. Sword high and using force in his hits even as blood continued to seep from the wound. Arthur was impressed with the knight, he had the driving force along with the power and even if all in all he wasn’t the most talented swordsman, he definitely would have earned a place among Arthur’s knights if he had been a part of Camelot. Mercia was lucky to have him in the forces, as was King Bayard for having him as a knight, something he’d mentioned to Bayard quietly as the match continued on.

The match was good entertainment and the crowd were enjoying it but if it carried on for much longer, Arthur would have to call it a draw, as there were still a few matches left in the day, including Arthur’s own match. He was considering the decision when he saw the Mercia knight swipe across Percival’s stomach, the giant man had let out a pained cry- that being unusual for Percival anyway, he looked in pain yet carried on in the battle as though nothing was wrong, he made no attempt to back out of the match and he pushed harder, trying to get the vantage point back from the other knight. He pushed with fast paced hits against the other man's sword, pushing him back and back until he had a chance to flick his sword against he others to disarm him, the sword landing just by Percivals feet which he quickly picked up and to end the match held the man’s own sword under his chin to his throat while he positioned his sword under the knights ribs. The other knight finally yielded, taking back his sword from Percival as the pair of them clasped hands for the good match.

Arthur was very pleased with the outcome even if he couldn’t show it as much as he wished too, declaring the match Percival’s he signalled for them to be helped from the arena. Mercian physicians came to help the other knight while Percival was helped from the arena by Noah and Rowan while Juliette had come to take his sword. The large man appeared to be struggling and Arthur just about caught a glimpse of his face as they left the arena, he was in a lot of pain it appeared and all Arthur could do was hope the injury wasn’t as damaging as it could be; stomach injuries were never nice, some would keep your from your duties for a few weeks which wasn’t an easy thing for a knight to have to put up with. Arthur and Gwen were congratulated at their knights' win, even if Bayard seemed less enthusiastic but that's because his knight lost. Mercia throughout the tournament so far had done quite well, beating many of their opponents from various kingdoms including Camelot so his disappointment wasn’t so bad. 

Gwen leaned in to speak to Arthur, ‘After the next few rounds we should go and see how Percival is. I didn’t like the angle that the strike of the sword hit him.’ Arthur nodded, taking hold of her hand as the next couple of knights entered the arena. That match ended very quickly, due to the knights really not being as skilled as many of the others, both from very small kingdoms, it wasn’t very surprising and the weakest man was defeated as quickly as some of the youngest knights are the first time they go against a fully trained knight. Disappointing for the knights and their Lords, both Lords didn’t look the happiest, even though one of the Lords knights had won the round. However, that didn’t matter for long since it was Sir Lancelot’s match next.

This match was quite anticipated with the visiting nobility for a couple of reasons, for one, many people had heard about Lancelot’s skills and his honesty and ‘nobility’ for a common man and for two, the knight he was up against was very well known throughout Albion, in many different kingdon’s due to all the battles he’d been through and lived. King Bayard had seemed a bit apprehensive about his knight taking part in the tournament, his smile about a few compliments seemed fairly false and he turned away from many of anyone’s questions for him, instead speaking with his aiding servant in very hushed tones, the latter leaving his Lord to speak with a few of Bayard’s other knights. That was all Arthur knew. 

Lancelot was sure to make Camelot proud as with the rest of his core knights, Leon, Elyan and Percival all having won against their opponents. Lancelot was good and even with this other knights reputation Lancelot would give him a run for his money. Sir Baran was ‘especially ugly’ according to Gwen and Arthur had to admit that he was not very nice to look at; there were missing chunks of hair across his head and scars across every inch of visible skin, many looking like blisters from burns and when he’d grinned up at the royal box, he had some missing teeth too from what Arthur could see. However, once it came to holding onto his sword, there was no doubt that this man had seen many a battle in his life so far, his sword sat comfortably in his hand – an extra limb was the first thought that came to the Kings mind when Sir Baran spun his sword in his hand as he eyed Lancelot up from where they were standing apart. 

There was something very sinister about how Sir Baran held himself, looking at Lancelot with unmoving eyes and a smirk across that disgusting mouth of his. Lancelot made the first attack of the round after both men had been standing here for a few minutes just facing each other. Lancelot moved like he did in training, pushing his opponent back and around the arena but it was taking far more effort from him. From an untrained eye, Lancelot wouldn have looked like he was doing well but where Arthur was looking at it, he wasn’t; Sir Baran was mocking him, letting himself be forced around and letting their swords clash frequently without getting hurt and the entire time he had his eyes on Lancelot, not even his blade. The knight had a confidence that Arthur had never seen before, unrelenting confidence, yet at the same time there was something disturbing about the way he was working the ring, working the match and moving with Lancelot. 

The knight appeared so smug that his calm and confident manner never changed, there was no hint that he was getting stressed or strained by anything that Lancelot was throwing at him; however, Lancelot swung his sword a fraction too high and close to the man’s face, that was the only moment that Arthur saw any physical change in him. 

In a moment's notice he was actively fighting back, the swing of his sword was powerful and with perfect precision, hitting exactly where Baran wanted them. A hit against Lancelot’s upper armour on his arm, a couple of other small hits on his armour and he almost caught Lancelot’s sword hand as he swung down across Lancelot’s sword. The older knight seemed to be getting far closer to Lancelot than many knights would have gone, it was almost close enough that he could grab a hold of the younger knight. He was incredibly aggressive in his attacks, violent as it looked like he was aiming for places on the younger knights body that would cause severe damage if he hit there, aiming for Lancelot’s ribs, his chest, and his head- It was lucky that his ribs and chest were protected by armour but his head was unguarded so every swing of Baran’s sword that came close to his face was worrying.

Gwen’s hand tightened around his, and he could hear her breathing picking up ever so slightly as he turned and made eye contact with her for a few seconds, an entire conversation moved through that one look. 

Arthur had also noticed how unlike most of the rounds, the crowd were not cheering and he hadn’t heard any wagers called at all. A quick glance made him see just how they were feeling. Many of the women in the crowd looked ill and like they wanted to leave, while the men just kept wincing every time the two knights' swords clashed together, and everyone looked as though they were holding their breath. Lancelot couldn’t keep any noise to himself, he sounded winded and in pain but Arthur couldn’t just stop the match because it wasn’t anywhere near being a draw, yes the match had been going on for a while but it was still not near enough that Arthur could call it. Lancelot didn’t look good, breathing very heavy and he was no longer holding his sword as firm as he had been, the blade shaking in his hand and it seemed that that was the opening that Baran needed. 

Arthur watched as with a practiced flick of his sword against Lancelot’s sword, he was able to knock it from his hand, the force behind it, making Lancelot lose his footing, his legs collapsing as he stumbled onto his knees, his back turned on the opposing knight. Arthur felt his heart sink, Lancelot was still kneeling, swaying as Lancelot’s shoulder moved up and down in rapid movements as the knight tried to breathe through everything. Arthur was just about to call the win for Baran when he saw the standing knight beginning to advance on the fallen Knight, he’d remained on the floor collapsed. Baran’s sword was loose and relaxed in his grip and he had a disturbing, wicked look across his face and to Arthur’s horror, it looked like amusement and screamed enjoyment over his dominance over the exhausted knight. Arthur barely thought as he saw Baran beginning to raise his sword standing above Lancelot.

‘SIR BARAN WINS. This battle is over. Gaius. Take Sir Lancelot to be treated!’ He was on his feet, Gwen too staring down at the man with as much power in his gaze as he could, his tone of voice demanding respect and leaving no room for discussion. Baran looked like he wasn’t happy to be stopped, yet he yielded with a tense bow and the lowering of his sword, stalking off to the Mercian knights tent. Arthur was inwardly glad that there hadn’t been any contesting the decision from the other knight yet he didn’t like the idea of the man being around Camelot. The King watched as the servants ran to Lancelot, Juliette beside him sooner than the others, she was speaking to him as Noah raced to pick him up along with Rowan, the two men lifting him quickly as they hastened to leave the arena. Lancelot was drooping between them, looked limp and very unwell and Arthur didn’t like that, and seeing Gwen’s face she was very concerned. She had a soft spot for the knight. 

‘King Bayard, Guinevere and I wish to speak with you.’ Said King stood with a nod of his head, the three royals leaving the box and over to a small unoccupied tent. ‘I won’t delay in what I want to say Bayard- I do not want Baran in the remainder of the tournament. He pulled moves that should never be made in a friendly tournament, he was trying to  _ kill _ my knight at the end there when it was clear to see that Sir Lancelot couldn’t have defended himself. I don’t want harm coming to any other knight because next time he may not be so ready to just g _ ive _ in when ordered. He looked as though he was enjoying it.’ Bayard hadn’t even disagreed, he’d just nodded his head and said that he’d speak with Sir Baran himself. He even admitted that he felt disgusted at how his knight had acted, as Mercia strived for well mannered, well taught knights but in this case it showed Sir Baran’s true colours. ‘While it may be different in a war, a tournament is no place for a knight like him and I apologise that he was brought along for the tournament. I will go and right this straight away, if you will excuse me.’ With a polite yet tired bow, he left the tent, leaving the two Camelot royals to themselves for a moment.

‘We should go and see him and we forgot to see Percival earlier. The next matches will just have to wait for this is more important.’ Gwen said, pulling Arthur from the tent by his hand. Arthur felt proud of her in moments like this, her compassion was a strong reason for why she made such a good Queen and Arthur found no reason to argue with her. 

Some guards had followed after them which was good, Arthur was going to put some guards outside the tent while Lancelot and Percival were in there. A couple of them entered the tent while the rest remained outside, ‘Gaius, how is he?’ The King knew he sounded worried, but he couldn’t help it, is friend and knight was hurt in some way and had almost been killed, the old physician sighed, ‘He is not physically injured Sire, just exhausted and he appears to have caught heat fever- out in the sun, doing such a vigorous activity, that his body has shut down on itself until it cools down. He may be this way for most of the afternoon.’ Arthur released a deep breath while Gwen sat at the knights side, running a wet linen across the man's face and his neck, clearing sweat from his skin. ‘He does feel frightfully hot Arthur, I’ve never seen a man with such bad heat fever. He shouldn't have to stay here, we should have him moved back up to his chambers to be looked after by some of the maids, they can keep him cool with wet linens; Gaius cannot look after him the entire afternoon during the other matches, he may be needed.’

Arthur nodded, listening to his Queen, ‘Yes, we’ll have someone move him, he fought most nobly and if the outcome of the match could be changed, I would, Sir Lancelot deserves better and Sir Percival’ He turned to the other knight still sitting on the other bed, ‘You fought most valiantly and I congratulate you on your victory. How do you feel now?’ Percival nodded, an arm placed gently on the site of his wound, ‘Thank you my King, I feel far more at ease now Sire, even though the wound was painful and bled much, I feel able enough to fight tomorrow, should Gaius permit it.’ He looked determined and that gave Arthur some reassurance that his knight was well, ‘I should hope so, as long as you are fit to fight, I will not stop you. You will bring yourself honour and respect either way.’ He looked back around the tent, taking note of everyone before moving on, ‘I will announce this now, however, in the presence of the knight himself that Sir Baran has been taken out of the tournament!’ 

The tent burst into hushed whispering ‘I have spoken with King Bayard and we both are in agreement that his actions throughout the match were wrong and his inability to leave a man while he is down has shown his true colours and he is not going to be honoured with anything more than that singular win. This will be announced to the crowd soon enough but for now, I wish for everyone in this tent to keep it quiet until that moment.’ As everyone present in the tent, including the guards had confirmed their secrecy for the time being, he motioned for Gwen to take his arm and with a head tilt and much bowing and curtsying from everyone else, they left the tent, Arthur asking Noah to come with them

Arthur announced the news of Sir Baran’s disqualification from the tournament along with announcing a break to the crowd, letting them know that they could leave for a little while to have some food as the matches couldn’t be starting for another hour at most. Arthur had some guards come down and after he was transferred onto a stretcher he was carefully taken up to his room to be looked after by some of the maids in the castle.

Arthur felt quite strange for the rest of the afternoon, he knew he had his own fight coming up later in the evening but it was strange he didn’t feel as excited for it as he normally did during tournaments, yet he put it down to the fact that he was also worrying about Lancelot, Percival and Sir Baran. Arthur had never known a knight such as him and having the man still in Camelot was causing him some worry, but he couldn’t really go to King Bayard and say that right now; Arthur had to oversee some final matches before his own, so he tried focusing on that and he’d speak with King Bayard after his own match.

Throughout the tournament, there was one Kingdom who’s knights had all won their matches, Vynden. No one knew very much about the place, including Arthur, in fact it had been the first time he’d met Vynden’s ruling Lord, Lord Richard. The man was older, wise and seemingly stronger than most men his age, yet he treated everyone he spoke to with the same amount of respect and he spoke kindly with everyone, Lords, Ladies, knights, servants. Vynden however small they were, weren’t to be underestimated if their knights were anything to go by. Arthur was going to be fighting their last knight of the tournament and he was actually quite interested in going against him. It was sure to be an interesting match. 

Upon entering the arena, the crowd had gone incredibly loud, Camelot’s citizens cheering for their King as he entered into his own match. He wasn’t thinking about that though, more focused on the knight in front of him, the Vynden knight looked calm and confident, yet it wasn’t in a smug way, more like he was just confident in his abilities and not concerned about Arthur, he would just fight as he fought. If Arthur won, he won and if he didn’t, he didn’t– Vynden knights were all great in their skills so Arthur wouldn’t be surprised if he lost to the other knight. They were of very similar builds and had a very similar way of holding their swords Arthur found as the match began. Since there was such a similarity between them, it was going to be tough but Arthur was excited for it and carried on fighting normally. 

Moving round the arena, neither of them could get a hit on the other, both too fast to block the others sword from getting its strike. Arthur was so immersed in the fight that he’d completely drowned out the crowds calling with just his concentration, watching for any instance he could catch the other man off guard but he never found one. It seemed to be the same for the other knight, he would try an attack that would only just miss Arthur but it gave the other knights something to work for and by that point Arthur didn’t think that either of them were trying to win– It was as though they were just training together, trying to catch the other out to make a mistake that would never happen. They both had a smile on their face. It really didn’t bother Arthur in the end when he heard Gwen called-draw as he was honoured to have been fighting against a well trained, just and honourable knight. 

After the draw was officially announced by Gwen, he turned to the other knight, clasping hands with him, ‘You fought well, Sir Knight, it was an honour and congratulations on the draw, it wasn’t easy to achieve for either of us I wager!’ The knight tipped his head in thanks, ‘Thank you your Majesty, it was an honour for me as well to fight against someone of your skill. I must admit, I was beginning to feel some strain, however...’ The two of them were turning to leave the arena to continue speaking when the knight had spotted a man entering the arena, fully hidden in his cloak. Arthur felt confused for a moment going to speak before the man dropped his cloak to the side. It was Sir Baran and he was carrying a set of dual swords which were raised in his direction. Arthur felt frustrated at that threatening action towards him but he kept civil for his own sake, ‘Sir Baran, what do you think you are doing? You’ve been removed from the competition, you have no reason to be here, you should be in your rooms.’ 

He spoke as calmly as he could, raising his sword just enough to be a warming to the other knight, but the man just laughed, he sounded partially drunken and there was sarcastic tone to the sound that echoed loudly through the arena, ‘Think you can just cut me off like that little  _ king _ , I don’t serve anyone with the likes of you, I don’t obey anyone like you.’ He sounded angry, a tone that Arthur didn’t appreciate too much, ‘You think you can just get rid of me huh! That win was mine, that  _ boy _ was mine to finish and  _ I _ deserve the final prize!’ He looked wild in the eyes, in his body, spinning his swords in his hand. ‘Baran! You shall listen to me now! I have given you too much leniency over the years but now you will listen- you will leave right this..’ 

‘I don't listen to you, you are no king… you are a fool Bayard, a fool wearing a false crown.’ Arthur was shocked, and visibly, so was King Bayard, stood from his seat in the box to try and order his knight away but after his knight had spoken, he looked shocked, unable to speak however angry he looked, mouth wide open. Arthur had enough putting as much force through his voice as he thought he’d need, ‘You do not speak to your King like that. He is your King and he deserves respect, guards come and take him away, place him in the dungeons so that he can think over his intentions.’ 

Arthur turned away from Baran, certain that his guards would be there to take the knight away to think about his intentions but before he was even five paces away he heard a yell and then a sharp clash of swords, accompanied by the sound of the crowd beginning to panic, everyone frightened as they all tried to leave the arena at once. Arthur turned back, taking a defensive stance as he watched the Vynden knight struck down from a slash to the chest. The knight had been protecting him and for that he’d given his life, Arthur felt guilt rise through him quickly but he had no time to dwell as Baran had turned his sight on him completely as he had no one distracting him or in his way. Arthur could hear Gwen and some of the other Lords calling for knights and guards but he couldn’t do anything, reacting quickly as Baran sent a sword towards his chest with one of his swords.

Many knights had come into the arena, from various Kingdom’s including Mercian knights who went straight into the fray, many of them trying to call for him to stand down but instead he struck them down, swords a mess with blood and eyes deathly focused only on Arthur. Leon and Elyan had taken place in front of him as had a couple of servants wielding swords, even Percival had entered the arena, despite his injury and Arthur felt so grateful for all of them. Arthur saw many knights struck down and many just pushed away, hardly any strength left to fight which eventually led to him being against Baran himself. One brave knight tried for an attack from behind, yet Baran gave one twist of one of his swords and the knight fell, sword falling from his hands. The man looked completely insane, as if all the battles over the years had finally taken their toll on him if he was this crazy for bloodshed and death. 

In a move that would probably come back to haunt him, he made his own knights stand away, letting Baran come on the attack. 

Being forced back and back and back around the arena with hit after hit against his sword. He was hit across the shoulder, luckily his armour stayed strong and he was uninjured but there was a rapidly growing feeling of pure fear threading itself through his body. He was a strong knight but Baran was too strong for him, eventually backing him up against a wall of the arena. Arthur gave one fear filled look around the arena to all the remaining knights, locking eyes with Gwen who looked absolutely horrified, in tears. It gave Arthur some strength however, not wanting to die in front of his wife, so he was just bracing himself to push back against the sword swinging down towards him when a loud shouting filled the arena. It distracted Baran for a moment, turning to look, allowing Arthur to push him away, his sword dropping from his hands as Arthur rushed away from him. He was pushed behind some knights and a servant with a sword, Gwen grabbing hold of him, crying brokenly. He kissed her very briefly before turning to find the source of the shouting. 

He couldn't understand what was being said, but he spotted Juliette stood in the middle of the arena, her eyes a bright white, her voice didn’t sound like her own, it was stronger and it sounded like there were many many people speaking all at once. There was also a bright blue glow against the centre of her chest, just as bright as the white in her eyes. She had finished speaking in the strange language, which Arthur had come to realise as magic and he was shocked as her body began lifting away from the floor, into the air along with another woman and man and a young knight from Vynden, all their eyes were white and their faces expressionless as wind whipped around them, pulling their hair in every which direction. Their white eyes cast onto everyone below and quite a few of the remaining knights fell back onto the ground in fear, however, the white eyes of the four people weren’t turned on them for long, resting ominously on Sir Baran. 

Wind was encircling him, yanking him in every direction and from Juliette, with a voice that wasn’t just her own, words poured resoundingly, filling the air, _ ‘You have committed the gravest of sins known to the Old Religion; the attempted murder and attack against the Once and Future King is unforgivable. The Triple Goddess will not accept the destruction of destiny set before Emrys and her King. For this crime, there is no redemption. Sir Baran you shall  _ not prosper, you shall have no honour, you shall hold no claim to life.  _ YOU. ARE. DONE _ !’ A thousand voices coursed through her, through the people floating beside her, the power behind the voices pulling the air around the four of them, as Sir Baran looked absolutely terrified, swords dropped from his hands as he begged and begged for forgiveness, for life.

Arthur had never seen something so frightening in all his life, holding onto Gwen tight, even if their sights weren’t turned on him.

There was a huge crack that ripped through the air, the sky darkened as black clouds rolled over the arena, a beam of lightning raining down hitting at the very place where Sir Baran had been standing. His cry of pain pierced Arthur’s ears before there was nothing but the white brightness that was radiating from the four people in the air, it was captivating in a very frightening way, their bodies were arched tight, heads thrown back towards the darkened sky and arms spread wide. They were only like that for a moment before the sky began to clear, the sun shining as though nothing had happened, their bodies finally floating back down to the floor. 

Everyone watched as Rowan, Percival and Gaius went to them as their bodies hit the floor. Rowan was instantly holding Juliette close to him, whispering to her as he cradled her limp body, he looked just as frightened as Arthur was sure everyone felt inside yet at the same time he was angry, these people had used magic so openly, in the middle Camelot in the grounds of the castle, his home once again! Percival was helping the woman and other man, speaking to them as though his King wasn’t there, watching him interact with magic users but it was the same with Gaius, speaking gently to the young knight. Arthur was very confused, angry and scared which reminded him of something. Sir Baran, where was he? Arthur looked towards where the knight had been standing close to the wall; there was nothing there, just a scorch mark across the ground and his pair of swords where he'd dropped them in fright. Arthur felt sick for a moment, that man had been obliterated by that bolt of lightning and there was absolutely nothing left of him; however, he couldn’t help but feel relieved that the threat was gone.

Looking back at the group of them, Juliette and Rowan and the knight and the two other people, Arthur’s annoyance bubbled over, he wanted answers. 

‘What is going on here?’ He had honestly expected an answer right that second but none of them seemed to be paying him any attention, which made his need for answers even stronger. He could see Juliette struggling in her husband's embrace, it seemed that she was coming back to herself as were the other three people using magic. There was a lot of whispering between them and it was making Arthur nervous but he had Gwen holding onto his hand and her other arm around his waist so he had something to focus on for a few minutes. Eventually Juliette rested her eyes on the kings, they were back to that bright blue from before which gave Arthur some reassurance, he didn't know how to react if they were still white. However, right now he needed answers and that was that, ‘I won’t ask another time… what in God’s name is going on? Magic has no place in Camelot, yet you have used it so outwardly.’ Rowan had Juliette even closer to him than before but she just laid a hand on his arm and after a moment or two of struggling Rowan had her standing up, his hands on her waist for purchase, she looked over to her friends briefly before turning back to look at him and Arthur couldn’t help but think of how exhausted they all looked, eyes barely focused on anything yet trying so hard to stay open. trying to hold herself as strong as she could as she spoke, her voice coming out rough and fatigued. ‘None of us are users of magic my Lord and in truth, sire, I cannot even remember what has transpired, I have no recollection since your fight with the fallen knight. I don't know what’s happened at all.’ 

Arthur frowned, he really didn’t know what to believe, but he turned to look at the other woman and the two men, ‘What she speaks is true sire, I have no recollection of what’s happened, I just feel exhausted; as though my body hasn’t been mine.’ The two men said similar things and when Arthur asked Percival, vouched for them, as did Rowan but Arthur couldn't accept his account as he was the husband of one of the accused. He was surprised however when nearly all of the remaining Vynden knights stood up for William, including their Lord and Arthur didn’t want to argue with another Lord, not now but he was still suspicious. He looked at Gwen briefly in silent conversation, trying to convey his emotion to her through his eyes, and she smiled at him sympathetically.

‘How am I supposed to believe you? While you may have people who can say something for you, I still saw you perform magic and there should be consequences for that. It’s inexcusable.’ There was a sharp rush of wind, Juliette lurching slightly as her eyes flashed gold, a multitude of voices speaking through her again, _ ‘This body is a vessel for Emrys. The witch of time foretold and the magic that will bring Albion into the golden age Arthur Pendragon. You have no place commanding Emrys when she saves your life, you have no place commanding the Triple Goddess who’s granted you life time and time again. Emrys will someday bring you into the light.’ _ Juliette collapsed back into her husband's hold, the other woman and man rushing to her side as did Percival and Gaius, who said something quietly to her and she had replied back just as quietly. 

The other woman rounded on Arthur, surprising him as she cried out to him, ‘Please my King, we have shown that none of us have been in control since you were attacked. This proves it; My friend has never shown any magical ability in all the years we have known each other and we wouldn’t be so foolish to come to Camelot knowing how much you despise magic, if any of us did! Please your majesty, let us leave. We are all exhausted from the control the magic had over us and Sir William will need rest if he is to fight tomorrow! My King, magic protected you today! Magic protected you!’ She sounded nearly hysterical, all her energy draining as the man held onto her. She had sounded commanding and a little bit regal, momentarily confusing Arthur as he thought of his sister speaking at him like that.

Gwen’s hand in his was grounding, a lifeline for him. He had been stunned at how the woman had called out to him and having Gwen holding onto him helped it all stay calm. He felt her tug at his arm with her other hand, making him look at her, ‘Arthur what if they aren’t lying, what if it is how they say. Normal servants used in this way. Arthur my love they must be so confused right now and yet still standing up for each other. You want things to be different don’t you, concerning magic? I won’t let you imprison them!’ She was firm yet not controlling, he still had a choice, ‘I know Gwen, I know and I’m not going to imprison them, you don't have to worry about that. I’m just confused.’ The King and Queen finished speaking, turning back to face everyone else, the both of them feeling weary after all the action of the day as Arthur waved them away, 

‘You are free to leave, go back to the tavern and rest but it would be easier if you all left tomorrow morning, the earliest you can. There is much that I don’t understand and I don’t trust you, so be pleased with this outcome and go. Sir Percival can go with you until tonight when he must return and if you wish you may visit Sir Lancelot once before you leave. Only because you are friends, no more, no less. Guinevere and I have also decided that after today, the rest of the tournament shall be cancelled so all our sakes. Go, rest your knights and instead of the remaining tournament, I will give you access to training and the feast tomorrow night will take place as scheduled. That is all, but for now I want some guards to come and take care of the dead and Gaius to look at all the injured men along with the other physicians.’ He took a hard look at them for a few moments, ‘I honestly don’t understand what has occurred today- one minute I’m fighting a match in a tournament, then I’m being attacked by a rogue knight, and the next I have people with no history of magic floating before me in the air, performing magic- powerful magic which they should not possess, to protect me and the other knights is dead, gone.. I don’t know whether to thank you four or the being that controlled you.’

He sighed deeply, turning away from everyone to walk out the arena, not looking back at them when he spoke, ‘But I thank you and that's all I can do. I don’t trust it and I don’t want it here.’ He left the arena, Gwen a few paces behind him after giving the group a relieved and kind smile. He could hear many of the Lords and remaining knights following him away, and he heard the Vynden Lord telling his knights to help with William, the young knight. Arthur was tired and was wishing in his head that all this was just an elaborate dream he had conjured in his mind but as he thought about everything that had happened and the ache settling in his body, he knew it was all real. Even though he hated it so much.

They were silent going back to their room, Arthur still feeling on edge and thankful that Gwen wasn’t trying to make him speak about it. That could wait until tomorrow, but for now he didn’t want to be disturbed at all if it could be helped. And as he drifted to sleep he couldn't help but think: 

Why couldn't it have been a normal tournament? 


	15. Tell me of Emrys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter finally!!!  
> Sorry for the long wait with this chapter, I had to get back into the swing of writing again and it took longer than I thought but I'm back and here is the next chapter!
> 
> I hope everyone reading had a good Holiday season and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!! :)

Gwen didn’t know what to think, it was their own mistake for not taking precautions but after all the events of the day before, it was safe to assume that Camelot wouldn’t be the same over the next few days. Extra guards had been posted all across the castle, but Gwen didn’t know how much difference it would make. She could see her husband thinking everything over and over again, he was so quiet and he had barely left their chambers since waking that morning. 

The events of the day before were still fresh in her mind, she could see that man forcing his way through multiple soldiers and bearing down on her husband, she could see that servant rushing into the arena, magic and feeling terrified and watching as Baran was destroyed. It seemed as though Camelot could never be away from magic even for a moment, and since her husband had almost been killed in front of her, she was grateful for it. She didn’t know whether or not she believed them when they had said that they didn’t use magic, but if that young knight’s own Lord could vouch for him and Percival was vouching for those servants then she couldn't say otherwise and as she’d told Arthur the day before- that if those people did have magic, she wouldn’t have let him imprison them; they’d saved his life and it was the least they could do.

She had seen them on her way to visit Lancelot, as she’d been informed that he’d woken up and she wanted to see how he was doing. As she’d rounded the corridor close to his room, she’d seen the four servants slipping into the room, their cloaks over their heads but she could tell it was them since Percival had come out of the room and was checking the corridor for anyone, he’d missed seeing Gwen as she ducked back behind the wall. 

The group couldn’t have been in there for longer than ten minutes, all exiting and speaking to Percival in hushed tones. They all shared a hug before the four of them left down a flight of servants stairs which led to a store room that held the grain, it was sheltered so you wouldn’t be seen entering or leaving if you did use it. Gwen used it when she would sneak out with Morgana sometimes when they were both teenagers. She assumed Percival must have known about it for them to leave quietly and she was impressed. The large knight sighed, before re-entering Lancelot’s quarters once again; Gwen finally coming round the corner she’d been hiding behind, thankful that no one had come along at that time since she didn’t know how she would explain it to anyone– she didn’t need to but she’d still feel a bit awkward about being seen just standing there.

She straightened out her skirts and brushed off her arm from leaning against the wall before making her way to the door; she knocked a couple of times and heard the conversation inside cease as Lancelot called out tiredly that she could enter. Upon entrance, she could see Lancelot sat up against the headboard of his bed, covers resting just on his stomach while Percival was sat near his side on a chair, devoid of his usual armour and in some plain clothes, although she could see his sword leant against the floor where it would be easily grabbed if needed. The two knights had bowed, Percival at standing, Lancelot with a tip of the head from where he was sat but Gwen waved them off, seeing no need for formality at that moment. 

‘How are you feeling Lancelot? There was a lot of stress put on your body yesterday.’ Lancelot tipped his head a couple of times, ‘Yes my Lady, I feel much better than I had and according to Gaius, my temperature had decreased enough that I am no longer feeling any effects as such. It’s more the fact that I just feel a bit tired, that’s all– I should be up and back to normal tomorrow if all’s well.’ Gwen felt a smile take over her face. ‘I’m glad, since you were very out of sorts when you were being looked at by Gaius and how is your wound Percival, feeling any better?’ The other knight hadn’t sat down again, but at the mention of his wound, Gwen had given him a look which screamed,  _ sit down _ , which he did, albeit hesitantly. ‘I feel better my Lady, the wound is clean and there is no infection, but at certain times, to move can be painful since it pulls at the stitches, however wrapped up and padded it may be.’ She nodded, realising that the way Percival was sitting was probably to take pressure from the wound, he was leaning far back on the chair, his body as flat as he could make it without laying down. 

‘That’s a good thing, we wouldn’t want you out of training for too long Sir Percival, the younger knights need your guidance.’ The knight nodded and Gwen thought that he must be eager to get back to training even if he was only going to be on rest for a little longer. She bit the inside of her lip, thinking over something that she had been wanting to ask, yet wasn’t sure how to. Out the corner of her eye, Lancelot and Percival locked eyes, small frowns on their faces as they glanced over her. ‘My lady? Is something the matter?’ 

Gwen shook her head, giving the knights a smile, ‘No everything is fine– although, there had been something that I was wondering about and please don’t be afraid to say something but Percival, what happened yesterday?’ The large knight looked alarmed, a quick glance towards Lancelot and back to her again. ‘I swear to you Percival, nothing will be leaving this room, nothing that is said between the three of us will ever be mentioned, but I must ask... did those servants truly not have magic or were you just twisting the truth for them, to save them?’ Percival was silent for a few moments, he had gone a strange shade of colour and he had gaped a couple of times. Lancelot didn’t look much better, looking at Percival seriously which had Gwen feeling even more anxious than she should; she was ready to reassure him once again but he spoke, quietly yet with conviction, ‘None of them are magic users, I said this yesterday and I wouldn’t lie to my King, not to his face. I assure you that none of what happened was under their control– it must have been the Triple Goddess using them.’ 

Gwen looked at him, looking for a sign that he was lying but she couldn’t find any. Percival was loyal, reliable so she chose to believe him, for now.

She nodded, ‘Ok, if you are certain, I won’t pressure you for anything else, not that I was meaning too. However, who is the Triple Goddess, Percival, you mentioned something earlier?’ he shrugged, looking apologetic, ‘I’m sorry My Lady, but I don’t completely know, nor remember what Gaius had told me. All I can remember is that she is a very important person to all the magic folk, druids, sorcerers, the lot of them.’ Gwen felt unsure about what to think about what the knight had told her. ‘In truth, My Lady, it would be far better to speak with Gaius, and if possible, the King should speak with him too.’ He quietened but before Gwen could speak he spoke again, ‘If I may also add this, perhaps it would be best if we all spoke with Gaius, once Lancelot is feeling better.’ The other knight leant over to smack him on the arm, ‘I’m fine Percy, don’t you worry about me, you’re the one with the wound on your stomach!’ He looked towards Gwen, ‘I must agree with him your majesty, it might be a good idea, especially considering what happened as Percival and our friends told me.’

Gwen nodded a few times, a weary smile on her face. ‘I will consider it, and I shall try and speak with Arthur about it. He hasn’t left our quarters today and I hardly know what he’s been thinking, so I may have to wait for a little while but should I get the chance I’ll bring it up.’ She sighed, moving a strand of hair from her face before looking up again to look at the two knights, ‘I appreciate you both being forward with me and I hope that you both rest for a while longer before attempting to do to much, especially you Percival, you don’t want to tear your stitches and get an infection; and you really don’t want Gaius scolding you for it! Be careful.’ The knights both bowed their heads as Gwen finally took leave of the room. 

The Queen wanted to go straight to Gaius and find some answers but she knew that the knights were right when they said that Arthur should be included, he deserved the answers just as much as she did, if not more. Gwen had better acceptance of magic than Arthur and he was still very untrusting of it, however, due to the events that happened yesterday, Gwen wasn’t sure how he would feel now.

He was sitting in his chair near the table in their rooms when Gwen came back, he’d been there since Gwen had left and he looked very much the same. ‘Arthur, my love, are you alright?’ Her King jumped, not noticing her entry to the room, eyes staying on her as she made her way over to stand between his legs. He heaved out a sigh, ‘I don’t know, there are too many thoughts in my mind to process after yesterday’s events.’ He leant into her touch as she stroked a hand through his hair and round the back of his neck, ‘You feel so tense, so tired my love.’ he made a sound reminiscent of a cat, his arms came up to her waist to guide her into sitting across one of his legs. It took some readjusting of her skirts before they were both comfortable before either of them spoke again.

‘I felt frightened yesterday Guinevere, I admit that for the moment Baran had me against that wall, I felt fear and I swore I was going to die at his hand.’ His arm around her waist tightened, ‘But I saw your face and I knew I had to fight as hard as I could to remain by your side, even though it felt so unlikely when no one could do anything to move him. Then in the very seconds I thought I was going to die– magic intervened, and I don’t understand why or how! I’m so confused Gwen, I’m so confused.’ Gwen felt her heart breaking at her husband’s plight, she had no real way of comforting him, even though she so desperately wanted to do so. However, she didn’t understand a lot of what had happened either and Gaius was possibly one of the only people in Camelot who may have a clue about it all. Especially who this Emrys was!

‘I felt very much the same. I thought I would watch my husband die in front of me, I was certain of it until all that magic happened. Four random people who we didn’t know began using magic, which they shouldn’t have possessed, and according to  _ everyone _ who knows them– none of them were magic users, they were being used by a magical entity to save you, Arthur. Why would they save you so often? I keep thinking over that, you don’t like magic, you definitely don’t trust it, yet you keep being saved by it. I’m grateful, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to say how grateful I am for it saving you but I am just as confused as you are.’ 

She had continued to run a hand through the back of his hair, to ground both him and herself while they talked. It wasn’t easy thinking about what could have happened to Arthur, nor was it easy thinking about her life without him but they both needed to speak about it as trying to keep it bottled up inside them wouldn’t have the best consequences if it remained like that for a long time.

‘I went to see Sir Lancelot a short while ago, he’s woken up and he’s feeling much better, and I think having Sir Percival’s company this morning has helped in that recovery. We also briefly spoke of some of the happenings yesterday and it’s been suggested that we all speak with Gaius over the matter.’ Arthur looked as though he was about to protest. ‘Arthur listen to me please. Gaius has more knowledge on magic than most people in Camelot. He is reliable, he is trustworthy and he knows what he speaks of. Especially when it comes to knowledge of this entity who protected you, you can’t deny that you want to know because I know you do.’

Her King, sighed, leaning further into the touch she had on his head and neck, wanting her to continue moving her hand after she’d stopped. He went back into a moment of silent thought while Gwen remained as she was, watching him and waiting for his input. 

‘I do wish to know, yet I don’t want to be caught unawares especially now, since the peace has been somewhat ruined between us and Bayard. He has sent word that he shall depart the capital by mid-afternoon and should be from Camelot’s borders by sundown. I returned his plans by saying that there was no ill intent on his part and I didn’t pass blame to him for anything, however he has insisted. He feels in disgrace due to Baran, and I understand him, I do- but I wish he didn’t feel as though he had to go so soon.’ Gwen held compassion towards Bayard, yes there had been a time where the relations between his Kingdom and Camelot had been strained and very poor in reducing it– especially after Merlin had been poisoned. Gwen had been so scared at that time; but it was best not to think of it, she reminded herself as Arthur carried on speaking. 

‘If there is time after Bayard leaves and I’ve spoken with the remaining Lords, we will go and speak with Gaius. You are right in saying that I want to know, it was plaguing me in my sleep along with something else which had been said. That being or person Emrys, it spoke of those servants being a vessel and I wish to know more of that if Gaius has the knowledge but any and all things said should be kept between us and us only– the knights, Gaius, you and me. No one else should ever find out what has been said.’ Arthur looked stern as he said that, something he rarely had to be with Gwen but due to the situation it did seem as though this conversation would have to be kept very close and Gwen knew that Arthur needed that reassurance from her.

‘Of course Arthur. It won’t go anywhere unless you say otherwise; and with that being said, do you think Noah should join us? He is going to be around Camelot for a long time after all and there is no way that he cannot be informed on magic if he is to face things with you and the knights.’ Arthur nodded, almost as soon as she finished speaking– he must have been thinking that over for a while. ‘Yes, although I had hoped to keep him somewhat sheltered over his time in Camelot, I cannot deny that knowing of some of our  _ previous _ troubles will be useful and he will be of greater knowledge which could help in the future, should it be needed. Noah should be involved, even if he doesn’t truly understand any of it. That can all be addressed later when we meet but for now, I should most likely go and speak with the other Lords and King Bayard before he leaves, there is a lot to organise after yesterday I fear and the council will have to meet sooner rather than later. I don’t know when I shall be available but hopefully it won’t be too late this evening.’

Gwen nodded, rising from his lap as he stood too, holding each other close for a few seconds before they eventually parted with Arthur pressing another kiss to Gwen’s lips before leaving the room, his call for Noah and some other servants heard down the corridor just as the door to their chambers closed, making Gwen chuckle to herself.

The rest of her day was spent quite relaxed, she met with some women of the town who were bringing fabrics and materials for dresses up to the castle and met with them in one of the smaller halls where they laid everything out on a table for her to choose from. She ended up choosing a few different shades of purple, red and blue along with some shades of neutral tan, beige and browns. Some of the fabrics would go for simple informal wear or travelling gear, whereas the rest would go for some new formal dresses as Gwen had lost a couple of hers due to damage and one of them was too small for her now, but it was old and had no sentimental value. Each fabric was wonderful, clean, good quality and beautifully coloured, that Gwen made sure that they would be paid handsomely for their good work in gathering and making the fabrics as well as they had. Now it would be up to Gwen’s dressmakers to finish the product to perfection to add even more value to the materials used. 

Arthur had returned to his duties, seeing to the comfort of all the remaining visitors to the castle, making sure that the Lords and their knights had somewhere to train and partners to work beside before seeing King Bayard off on his return home. The other King had apologised again and again for the attempt on his life from Baran but Arthur only waved him off, reassuring the King that there were not hard feelings between them, between their Kingdoms– Not even a rogue knight could make Arthur feel otherwise as it wasn’t of Bayard’s command.

Gwen could feel a difference around the castle however, the guards seemed more aware of people moving through the corridors and there had been less servants wandering the halls even with the amount of guests they had staying. Gwen had also heard a brief conversation between a couple of Lords about the events, both stunned and frightened as anything by still being in Camelot and both were wondering how Arthur and Gwen could be so calm about it all, especially since Camelot was a Kingdom where magic was banned from being used and taught. They were also both surprised that the four people had been let go and that knight from Vynden hadn’t been questioned.

He hadn’t because he physically couldn’t have been. Arthur had come to find Gwen as she was choosing her fabrics, taken her off to the side and told her that he’d been speaking with Vynden’s Lord and a couple of his remaining knights to give his condolences over the loss of one of their knights, one of their friends and to enquire over the young knight, William. The Lord had told Arthur with some sadness that William hadn’t awoken yet since passing out the evening before. The young Knight had been so exhausted that they could barely keep him awake for more than five minutes to drink water and eat the smallest amount of bread before he would be asleep again. His Lord was concerned and wanted to leave back to Vynden at first light the next morning, whether or not William regained consciousness in that time, there had been enough excitement for Vynden’s first tournament in Camelot and his Lord was sure that William’s parents would want him home as he was like this. Arthur hadn’t tried to say no, since after the day was over– so was the tournament, if it had run as supposed, it would have ended.

That was one of the only times Gwen saw Arthur since their talk that morning, he was busy and they only saw each other in passing before their evening meal which was taken alongside the visiting Lords and their Knights, meaning that even though they were sat beside one another they barely had any opportunity during that meal to actually speak but it wasn’t so bad since Gwen knew that they would be able to speak once they went to see Gaius later on with the Knights and Noah. So Gwen spoke with a few of the Lords and their wives and made sure that she kept an eye on Arthur so that he didn’t get so consumed with conversation so they’d eventually be able to ‘retire for the night’. 

Percival and Lancelot were easy to catch eyes with from across the room once the King and Queen were ready to leave. Arthur announced their departure from the room, letting everyone know that they could stay and eat and drink for as long as they wanted. The two knights stood quickly after Gwen asked for their accompaniment along with her brother and Leon, who seemed confused as to why they were needed but followed her orders anyway. Noah followed them from the room as he normally would after the evening meal so he didn’t need to be informed, even though he wasn’t aware of what was happening either. Only Gwen, Arthur, Lancelot and Percival knew what was happening, up until they came to Gaius’s door. 

‘We need all of you for this… in truth this conversation should’ve happened a lot sooner but with that being said– Nothing leaves this room unless specifically given permission that you can do so, speaking with myself, Gwen or each other but that’s it. Do you all understand?’ Arthur had spoken before they entered the room, the knights and Noah nodding in agreement.

Gaius was sitting at his small table eating the remains of his evening meal when they entered the room, a steaming bowl of stew sat on the opposite side of the table most likely for Noah. The old man looked up when the door opened, taking into account the seven people entering his rooms with a raised eyebrow. ‘Noah you’re late for dinner, come and sit down my boy.’ He motioned to the bowl as he spotted the manservant, who hesitantly looked over to Arthur in silent discussion. Arthur just rolled his eyes, motioning him forward, ‘We’ve all had ours Noah, I won’t deny you yours when it’s right in front of you.’ The boy bowed his head slightly before taking a seat across the table, eagerly digging into his bowl with his spoon and taking the warm bread loaf Gaius offered him. 

Once Gaius was satisfied that Noah was happy with his lot, the old physician turned his attention onto the rest of the people standing a bit awkwardly near the door. ‘Was there something you needed, Sire? My Lady?’ Gwen saw Arthur startle and had to contain a laugh at her husband looking so caught out; When had Gaius become so perceptive? Who was she kidding- he’d always been perceptive about everything that happened in Camelot, that’s why Uther and Arthur relied on him so much.

As Arthur regained his composure, he began speaking, ‘I would like you to explain some things about yesterday to all of us, especially anything you know about The Triple Goddess and this Emrys person!’ That had Gaius momentarily stunned, before he was straight away motioning everyone to take a seat around his cluttered table, heading over to his shelves to scan some of the books lining it. While he was doing that, Gwen could see some confusion on Leon and her brother's faces and Noah was looking very out of place, a spoonful of stew halfway to his mouth before catching Gwen’s eye and blushing as he continued eating. ‘There is a lot to speak of Sire, you must realise that there will be a lot of uncomfortable and hard to accept things that you will learn of but I need you to think and understand as much as you are able– all of you, Noah included as I don’t know how much you are aware of my boy or how much you have dealt with before. Magic is a serious topic and in Camelot, I have had to be careful about all of my knowledge.’ 

The old man came to sit back down carrying a large leather bound book and a scroll, placing them on the table in front of everyone after moving some things off the table with Percival and Elyan’s help. ‘You’re father knew that I was once a user of magic, but during the purge I swore to never practice magic again and so I was spared death and remained as a member of the castle, however that didn’t stop me from gathering information about magic and I have aided both your father and you in instances of need.’ Gaius was flicking through the book looking through page after page until he had found what he’d been looking for, turning it around to face everyone at the table. 

Gwen could see some text in a language she couldn’t understand and there were a couple of small drawings across both pages. ‘I kept all my books from my time practicing magic and I hid them– in plain sight, yet they were never discovered; those guards are terrible at searching for things you know. However, over the years these books, texts and scrolls have saved Camelot many times.’ Gaius pointed to a small portion of writing, ‘You wanted to know about the Triple Goddess Sire and it’s all here, everything we know of her is in these books.’ 

Arthur sighed, ‘Yes but who is she Gaius, I cannot read what this says!’ Gwen pressed a hand to his under the table as she could hear the frustration spilling through his voice. The action appeared to calm him, just as Gaius began speaking again. ‘The Triple Goddess, to put it simply, is the mother of magic. She decrees everything magic was, is and shall be, nothing in magic is without her knowing and through her, magic is given to her people.’ Glancing around the table, Gwen could see that everyone looked just as confused as she felt herself. ‘Users of magic are granted their power through the Triple Goddess and she is the foundation of the Old Religion and all it’s laws. There have only been a few lucky people in the entire existence of the world that had ever spoken with her and it is the greatest honour you could ever receive as a sorcerer, witch or druid!’ Gaius was speaking with reverence, ‘And I am honoured to know of the only person from our time to have spoken with her, to have had her guidance more than once.’ 

Leon spoke for the first time, ‘Who Gaius? Who has spoken to this Goddess?’ Gaius unwrapped the scroll from its bindings, handing the scroll straight to Arthur, the writing on it was fading but it was just about legible that Arthur could read it out, ‘ The destiny of a great kingdom will rest of the shoulders of Emrys, the favoured one of the Triple Goddess, her perfect creation to bring about a time of change. Emrys will bring forth  The Once and Future King, to reunite Albion with Magic to live in harmony, to bring Albion into the golden age. Only then will Albion be at peace.’ Once finished reading, he passed the scroll back to Gaius, a strange look over his face, ‘Emrys? I have heard the name before, it was spoken yesterday. ‘ _ This body is a vessel for Emrys. The witch of time foretold.’  _ That’s what was said. Is it true Gaius? Is this prophecy of a Once and Future King true?

Gaius nodded, ‘It has been foretold for many generations Sire, all magic folk know of this prophecy and the promise that it is to bring to users of magic. If the Goddess be the mother of magic, then Emrys is her power on Earth– No sorcerer, witch or druid has power such as Emrys, the Goddess chose Emrys to carry her power to help bring magic back to Albion as a whole and Emrys shall help lead the King to that age, however, I don’t know how it is going to be completed.’ Gwen could see that most of them were still quite confused, however, Percival, Lancelot and of course Gaius hadn’t batted an eyelid. 

‘Who is this King, spoken of in this prophecy Gaius? Is that something you know of?’ Arthur looked concerned, as though he was expecting to have to step down from the throne for a new King, while Gaius stifled a chuckle, ‘My King, there is no other Lord, King or Queen I know of who has been as protected by magic as you Sire. In a Kingdom which has outlawed magic for so many years, it’s Prince was protected by magic, then when the Prince became its King– protected even more than before.’ Arthur looked absolutely stunned, mouth open in a very undignified way, ‘Magic needs you on the throne Sire, so through The Triple Goddess bringing Emrys to you, you are being brought closer to accomplishing the destiny written for you! You are the Once and Future King, Arthur; Emrys has been helping to guide you this entire time, even though you had no idea, you’ve been looked after so many times and Emrys hasn’t stopped yet!’ 

Arthur was wide eyed and gaping like a fish. He must have been very amazed by it all as was Gwen. She knew that Arthur had been special before he became King but she hadn’t realised that there was such a destiny placed on him. Gaius continued speaking, after a quick glance at Lancelot and Percival, ‘Emrys is part legend, part truth for all magic folk. There are some who have spoken with Emrys and some who don’t even believe in her existence, but no matter what happens, Emrys is the Old Religion’s and the Druids equivalent of a King or a Queen– No one has a greater connection to the Triple Goddess and no one can resist Emrys. When Emrys couldn’t be around to help you, she called on others to protect you, there was always someone round to look after you– right in the castle…’ 

_ Merlin. _ Gwen thought to herself, ‘Merlin?’ Arthur echoed out loud. He sounded sad and resigned to whatever was said next while Gaius nodded sadly. ‘Merlin had been acting on Emrys behalf to protect you Sire. All she was doing was protecting you.’ Arthur dropped his head into his hands, a strained sigh working its way out of his body.

‘Who is Merlin?’ Noah asked calmly, lookin around the table at everyone’s melancholy faces and Lancelot’s half angry face, he was again glaring at Arthur but seemed to be holding his tongue and Percival had a hand on his shoulder, which could have been to ground him from saying anything. ‘Merlin was my maidservant before I employed you, Noah, and the friend to Guinevere and the knights and she was Gaius’s niece.’ Arthur looked up again, looking as though he’d been through a war and back, his eyes tired. ‘I discovered some seven– eight months ago that she possessed magic… and let’s just say I didn’t react in a way I am proud of. I threatened her and had her banished from Camelot along with one other knight, Sir Gwaine, who willingly followed her even though he had no magic. Since that time I haven’t heard anything from either of them or about them, I don’t know where they are, even though I have tried to find them. I want to apologise and I wanted to talk to her about her magic, to try and understand but I never found her and I don’t think I will. I was cruel and I wish I hadn't been.’ 

Noah looked spooked, and there was an unreadable emotion on his young face that shouldn't have been there. It made the manservant look too old, too stern for his age. ‘Magic isn’t a bad thing Sire. I have seen it work in so many wonderful ways before, bringing a birthing mother back from the brink of death to stay with her husband and new born child. Life threatening wounds sewn back together when no thread or a needle were available. I have never seen an act of bad magic my Lord before and I apologise if I’ve spoken out of turn Sire, but I don’t believe what you did was right.’ 

It was as though everyone had seen a ghost, everyone was looking at the servant as though he’d grown a second head, and while Gwen was shocked at what he’d said, she had better control of her facial expressions than the rest of the men in the room, excluding Gaius. ‘The King has repented Noah, I can assure you of that. He has told his regrets over the situation and tried to make amends and I agree with you that what Arthur did was wrong and I admit I wasn’t aware of the situation when it happened but since then and before you entered into our household, that Arthur knows he made a mistake and if he ever gets the chance, he will made amends. I told him of my own views on magic, how different they were to his and it gave him another view to look on, not just the one he was raised with.’ Noah bowed his head with a flush as Gwen spoke, she was speaking as Queen, her tone leaving no argument even though she was calm and kind as she spoke, letting Noah know that he wasn’t in any trouble for what he said, but to say no more. 

‘I apologise Sire, I overstepped my position.’ Arthur waved him off, ‘No, no. I’m glad you feel comfortable to speak your mind. I know that I was seriously wrong in my judgement, but being raised by Uther, my views on magic have never been positive, I was taught to hate magic very early on and it remained that way for many, many years. Especially after the death of my father as it was magic that killed him, but speaking with Guinevere and Gaius, I gained more perspective and once I had that, I wanted change. That’s why I tried to find them so soon after they’d first left. And while I might not trust magic now, in time who knows. If magic, for some reason has plans for me, who I am to try and change that.’ 

Noah relaxed after Arthur’s words, knowing that he hadn’t offended his King. The young man had gone rigid after Gwen had spoken to him but he did relax again, even if he was still flushed with the embarrassment of how he’d spoken. Gwen had to stifle a laugh against the hand she was resting against.

With the larger portion of conversation out of the way and the burning questions with it, conversation turned to things that had happened and how Merlin had helped them all, and how Emrys had helped Arthur. Gwen was amazed by some things and it was clear to see that everyone in the room was too. It appeared that even Lancelot and Percival hadn’t known about some of it! Gaius told them the full events of the time when Merlin had taken poison for Arthur only a few short months after she’d been made his maidservant. It was a few days of constant worry for everyone involved, especially Gwen, Gaius and Arthur. ‘Merlin guided you from that cave, Sire, she was performing incantations even though she was unconscious, that glowing ball of light you saw, it was all her. The poison should have killed her, but due to her magic it kept her breathing and even though she didn’t know she was doing it, she was saving you! I had never felt so proud of you, going against your father to save someone who in turn was saving you by facing near death, a servant who you could have easily replaced, but you didn’t. You went out of your way to save her.’

Gwen could see that Arthur was struggling to take everything in, but he persevered and listened to everything Gaius would say. Everyone had the occasional question, most of which Gaius could answer but there were some questions that only Merlin could have answered.

It grew late by the time there was a lull in conversation, everyone looked tired and Gwen was having trouble keeping her eyes open for very long. Gaius was looking incredibly worn out, his age affecting him even more than the rest of them so Gwen suggested that they end the night there so that everyone could return to their beds and rest which Arthur thankfully agreed to, dismissing the knights and allowing Noah to go straight to bed without returning to their rooms with them and from Noah’s huffed out sigh, she could tell that he was very appreciative of the order. The knights went first, saying goodnight to each of the remaining people in the room, Elyan and Leon helping Percival back to his room, to help take some of the strain off of his wound, while Lancelot returned to his room alone. Noah bid them goodnight next, bowing low and apologising again for his word earlier in the evening which Arthur just dismissed, before heading up into his room with a final goodnight to Gaius. 

Arthur let Gwen head back to their room first when Gaius asked him to stay behind for a moment. Gwen left with a hug from Gaius and promise from Arthur that he wouldn’t take too long before coming to bed, so Gwen left, secretly eager to get out of her dress and take down her hair from all the tightly packed pins embedded throughout her head.

Arthur kept good on his promise. Gwen had taken down her hair and undressed, waiting in her nightgown as she worked a brush through her hair when Arthur came into their room. ‘Is everything alright love? Arthur what’s wrong?!?’ Her eyes had widened and she felt panic after seeing her husband’s face. He was in tears, looking equal parts, angry and absolutely distraught. He was leaning heavily against the door, tears streaming down his face no matter how many times he wiped his eyes. He was also muttering under his breath as Gwen rushed to his side, wrapping arms around him ‘Arthur? What happened? My love…’ She caught the end of something he said, ‘...this whole time…’ Gwen shook her head, feeling distressed for him, ‘Arthur, my love I can’t understand.’ He looked up into her eyes, red rimmed and irises blown wide, ‘He’s been lying to me this entire time Guinevere. Uther knew, Gaius knew, Merlin knew and never told me.’ 

Gwen felt so bewildered, ‘What haven’t they told you Arthur?’ He let out a painful sounding breath, breathing heavily a few times before saying something that had Gwen absolutely stunned…

‘ I was born of magic Gwen, I was born of magic…’


	16. I promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new chapter for you to all read!  
> It's on the shorter side, however I hope you enjoy the content!
> 
> :)

Coming home from Camelot had been difficult, Merlin, Morgana and Nathaniel had been completely exhausted and even though they had passed out very early in the evening, none of them awoke again until around midmorning. 

As expected their cloaking spell had worn off but after Gwaine had helped Merlin into the other couple’s room and they’d all spoken about it, it was agreed with some hesitation that they wouldn’t renew them as the two witches believed that they all didn’t have enough energy or strength to cast both a cloaking spell and a transporting spell back home that day. 

Gwaine had been very helpful that morning, he helped pack everything they’d brought with them away and he helped them all position their cloaks so that it would conceal their faces making their leave from the tavern easier. Gwaine held onto Merlin as they went down the stairs and threw a pouch of money and the keys on the counter, not even speaking to the keeper as the three sorcerers made their leave first with him following just behind, just in case.

Getting into the castle to see Lancelot hadn’t been hard since Merlin knew every entrance and exit in the place, it was easy to find the one that came out right near Lancelot’s quarters. They knocked on the door and Percival had answered, hurrying them into the room, even though he could tell that they were all exhausted minus Gwaine. They didn’t stay for long, they couldn't afford too especially since Lancelot had woken from his heat fever and if they knew then there would be other servants who knew and that would mean that the King and Queen would know by now and would most likely be coming to see him pretty soon. 

Merlin didn’t wait to tell him what had happened the day before, in the little time they had, getting Percival to promise to tell him anything she missed out in her explanation before she felt as though they needed to leave– right that moment. Lancelot was given three enormous hugs from Morgana, Gwaine and Merlin and a firm handshake with well wishes from Nathaniel. Percival saw them to the door and after his own set of all around hugs, they left down some servants stairs. A quick exit, especially as Merlin thought she could sense Gwen somewhere around, but she couldn’t be sure. 

It took them longer to make their way from the castle grounds to the lower town, since the three sorcerers were so drawn of their magic, Gwaine had taken to holding onto both Merlin and Morgana when neither woman could walk easily without their knees buckling due to exhaustion; So with Nathaniel on Morgana’s other side as support for both her and himself, the four of them tried to leave as soon as they could. While they must have looked very strange to everyone around them, it wasn’t as uncommon to see friends arm in arm like that so there was less attention on them as they made their way to a quiet side alley to finally get out of Camelot. Gwaine kept an eye out for anyone watching them or looking their way while the other three leant against the wall for a few minutes to catch their breaths as even the walk from the castle to there had been strenuous on their already drained bodies. 

It was decided that the three of them would combine their magic to complete the spell to get them the entire way home as Morgana didn’t think that she’d be able to get them there and Merlin was still far more drained than either of them combined. Saying the spell at the same time would guarantee that they would get home without anything going wrong. Travelling spells were tricky at the best of times, but in the case of three drained, barely standing sorcerers– well it was better to combine their powers to have enough strength behind the spell instead of trying to make one of them do it and have bad consequences. 

The spell had been quiet and subdued in tone but luckily for them, they had two resident powerful witches, the Triple Goddesses own and one of her High Priestesses so the spell wasn’t affected by anything. 

They ended up spelling straight into the cave, right near the entrance. There were a few kids running around close by who spotted them coming back, excitedly running to them to greet them but Gwaine waved them off, speaking with orders for them to go and get some help before they did anything else. Gwaine was feeling anxious, he had three barely conscious sorcerers in a heap on the floor and none of them seemed conscious enough to make their way to see Alice or go home to sleep– they certainly wouldn’t have been able to speak clearly at that moment. 

Iseldir and Cerdan had come racing along with Alice tailing behind them at a slightly slower pace. There were also a few other druids that Gwaine saw exit their houses or communal areas, the kitchen, the classroom and a few of them re-entered the cave from outside. Alice and Cerdan along with another healing druid began to cast spells across the three of them, the spells healing and casting as a light, shimmering sparkles over their bodies. Iseldir spoke with Gwaine to find out what had happened and through his worry, Gwaine told the camp leader as much as he could remember. 

Alice decided that it would be best to have them all moved up into their rooms to sleep off the fatigue in comfort and so they were moved, Nathaniel and Morgana being taken first while Gwaine held Merlin as Alice continued casting healing spells over her.

As Alice was finishing and Gwaine was getting ready to carry her back to their room, Saxon came rushing over, a look of panic on his face for his chosen older sister. ‘What happened? Is Merlin alright? Goddess if only I’d gone with you, then this wouldn’t have happened!’ His eyes were gold, murmuring his own set of spells which Gwaine didn't understand, ‘Hey Saxon, she’s fine– exhausted, unconscious? Yes, but she’s fine, all she needs is to sleep as Alice and Cerdan have both said.’ Gwaine tipped the boy’s head to look at him, ‘The reason she is like this is  _ because _ of magic, there is nothing that you could have done to prevent this when she had a hand is choosing this; And you know that Merlin would never have let you gone to Camelot with us, due to your age and since we all knew that something was going to happen and it did– The magic used yesterday put three grown and another nearly grown sorcerer into unconsciousness. Saxon you aren’t even grown yet and you sure wouldn’t have been strong enough to handle it. Merlin would never want you to go through something like that, especially since it’s made Emrys that weak.’ 

Saxon had looked back down at Merlin, looking very thoughtful and somewhat alarmed as Gwaine spoke to him, ‘Merlin wouldn’t want you like this, kid. Do you understand now?’ Said kid nodded as Gwaine laid a steadying hand on his shoulder, ‘That’s good. Now help me get Merls back to our room, I don’t want her lying on stone and my knees for any longer than needs be!’

With the help of a small stretcher and some weight lifting magic from Xon, they successfully got Merlin to her and Gwaine’s house, settling her on the bed where Deanna and Eliza came to help wash and redress her as some of the other ladies were doing with Morgana, kicking both Gwaine and Saxon from the house for a while. Gwaine wanted to be with Merlin but to protect her modesty he left with Saxon, he never wanted her to feel uncomfortable around him and in seeing her body, that would be breaking the trust she had for him. 

Gwaine knew Saxon was worried about Merlin, he was too; seeing her like that wasn’t something he enjoyed and if he could have taken her place he would have, but for now he was going to focus on keeping her chosen younger brother calm and in peace of mind that she would be fine.

Although Saxon had been in the care of the druids for most of his life, he had never had a family that he stuck with the entire time, he was always being moved to another family within the camp and even stayed with Iseldir and Cerdan for a short while but it never stuck like with some of the other orphans entering the camp. Merlin was in truth, one of the only people Saxon had truly bonded with in the twelve years he’d been with the camp and it was clear that the bond was incredibly strong. The young druid had been able to sense Merlin’s stress after she’d fallen and hurt her ankle a few weeks ago and he’d immediately gone to find her outside the cave to help her back to see Alice. Merlin was able to mentally connect with him faster than most of the other druids so it was easy to understand how they could sense each other so quickly.

Gwaine pulled him into a tight hug, to try and settle the panic the younger man was feeling, the boy clinging onto Gwaine as he buried his head into Gwaine’s chest. ‘She will be alright Saxon, I can promise you that. She’s surrounded by family, and friends and if something is wrong then there are healers to help her get better. Do you trust me?’ The boy nodded against Gwaine’s breastbone. ‘Good boy, why don’t you go and get me and Merlin some food and water for when she wakes up. I know I feel thirsty, so can you do that for me?’ Saxon removed himself from hugging Gwaine and nodded his head again, walking off to go down to the kitchens to get what was asked for– hopefully giving him something to take his mind off of the situation.

It took awhile for the girls to be finished with Merlin, in which time Saxon had already been to the kitchens and brought the food and water back with him, which Eliza took to give to Merlin while she was still awake. Eliza, before going back inside, reassured the two men that she was in fact fine– there was nothing physically wrong other than her exhaustion and even then, she already seemed brighter when she was conscious. 

In the end, both men were sent away so that Merlin could rest and since the two women were there, she was in safe hands; plus they couldn’t have done anything else for her, especially if she was going to be asleep most of the time they’d be there. Saxon went off to see his friends while Gwaine went to go and speak further in detail with Iseldir and Cerdan about yesterday’s events.

It took about four days before any of them were feeling well enough to get up from bed. The three of them would be awake for longer periods of time before falling asleep again and their magic seemed to be replenishing far better than expected. Morgana and Merlin were feeling better much faster than Nathaniel– Iseldir thought it may be due to the strength of their magic in the first place, allowing them to heal much quicker, even though when it had first happened they were the ones more affected by it. Nathaniel had barely woken up by the second day back at home and even though she was trying to remain strong for him, it was clear to see that Morgana was very concerned for him and Gwaine knew that Merlin was feeling very guilty for dragging him into the situation. When Merlin, Gwaine and Morgana had been to see Iseldir and Cerdan, Iseldir had mentioned that similar to how the two women had healed, Nathaniel’s magic was of lesser strength, so it may have been a factor in his recovery.

Saxon spent a lot of time around their house at that point, looking after Merlin if Gwaine had to go and hunt with some of the other men or after Saxon’s lessons for the day had ended. However, both of the adults quickly realised that there was something bothering him still, really bothering him, but he never said anything though. 

Merlin prided herself in being able to understand Saxon’s emotions most of the time and understand his thoughts if he allowed her but over those few days since they’d all arrived home, she hadn’t been able to get anything from him. No emotion, no thoughts, nothing, she was even struggling to sense his magic and it was causing her distress the longer it went on, so the pair of adults decided between them that after one of the boys lessons as they broke for lunch they would bring him back to their house to speak to him and finally figure out what was going on with him.

All the unknowing and secrecy was driving Merlin mad.

And so the next day, as the camp halted work and lessons for lunch together, Merlin spoke with Cerdan mentally asking if he could send Saxon to their house, as Merlin ‘needed him’, to which the older druid agreed to, saying that he’d give a small white lie to get him moving. 

It worked, as when Merlin and Gwaine were just setting up some food on their small table, Saxon appeared at the door, huffing and puffing as though he’d been running for miles and miles. However, when he was looking at the two of them as his breathing calmed, Gwaine could see that he’d realised he’d been fooled by one of the camp leaders. ‘I thought something was wrong– Cerdan said that you needed me.’ Merlin nodded, sitting down at the table, resting her hands on the surface, ‘There’s nothing wrong with me, but Cerdan is right, I do need you to do something for us.’ She ushered the boy to come further into the house, Gwaine silently taking a stand closer to the door to block any potential escape routes. ‘What do you need Merlin?’ The boy looked awkward, stood in the middle of the floor, ‘I need you to tell me what’s upsetting you Xon, because I can’t feel you anymore, I haven’t since after I woke up and we’d both like to know what’s bothering you.’ 

As expected Saxon tried to leave, turning back to bump into Gwaine’s chest, making him stumble as Gwaine raised an eyebrow at him as though saying,  _ ‘What are you going to do now?’ _ The younger druid then turned back to face the room, straightening up and speaking as clearly as he could make his voice, ‘I’m fine, there’s nothing wrong, why would anything be wrong. Maybe I just wanted some privacy for a while, that’s probably why…’ Merlin shook her head, ‘I know that’s not what it is Xon, you don’t ever hide yourself from me, you never have since we first connected and I don’t know what I did wrong Saxon but I want to make it right, if I have hurt you in some way… I just need you to tell me…’

The boy had instantly begun to shake his head as soon as Merlin had spoken, looking very unsettled, his eyes wide and–  _ Filling with tears? _ The two adults looked at each other sharply, noticing how upset the boy was looking, Gwaine ushering him to sit down as he began to ramble, spewing words so fast that neither adult could understand half of what he was saying. ‘Saxon, I need you to take some deep breaths with me ok, we need to get your breathing back to normal, alright kid!’ Gwaine said, making exaggerated breaths for Saxon to follow, in for four, out for four, repeating to eight before the boy’s chest had stopped moving so rapidly and he was calmer than before. 

‘Do you think you’ll be able to tell us what you just said then? Neither of us were able to understand you properly.’ Gwaine had kept a stabling hand on Saxon’s shoulder as the boy finally began to speak– slowly this time. ‘You knew that I wanted to come to Camelot with you, I hated the idea of it just being the four of you even though you’re Emrys and you said I wasn’t allowed to go, then you all left and I couldn’t help but worry a lot. But it wasn’t so bad ‘cause I could still feel you the entire time, even with all that distance I could still feel your magic connecting with mine and I got comfort from it.’ He wiped a hand over his eye to wipe a stray tear, taking a shuddering breath in and out, ‘Then the day before you all came home, I felt this really intense rush of magic– the entire camp did– I made some of the babies cry and I knew it was yours and Morgana’s and Nathaniel’s but then it stopped and I couldn’t feel anything.’

The kid burst into tears, alarming the two adults. Merlin sprang from her seat, going to kneel beside Saxon and pulling his trembling body into hers as he sobbed even while trying to talk, ‘I— I couldn’t feel anything, I couldn’t feel them and I couldn’t feel you and it felt like you had never even been here. I felt so empty and I—I thought you died, I thought I’d lost the one person who I truly cared for and who truly cared for me. I tried to reach out to you so many times but I never felt anything back and I was so scared Merlin. You’re my sister and I thought I lost you…’ Merlin shared a heartbroken look with Gwaine over Saxon’s head, a silent discussion in those few moments before they turned their attention back to the crying teenager.

‘I’m sorry, I’m so sorry my darling, I’m so sorry; I didn’t think about how it could have affected you, I’m so sorry. I promise it will never happen again, I swear it. It was something that only happened once and will only happen once, I will never put you through anything like that again!’ Merlin was soothing him as she stroked a hand over his back and neck in small circles. She moved him away from her embrace to wipe the sleeve of her tunic over his face, wiping all the tears, taking no mind over the snot and saliva that came away too. She made sure he was looking right in her eyes, holding his gaze for as long as she could, speaking quietly, as though speaking with a spooked horse, ‘I promise, little brother, I won’t ever leave you, no one could make me leave you. It’s me and you for life. No one can ever change that. I promise! It’s me and you for life.’ 

It took awhile for Saxon to stop crying fully but once he had calmed down completely, they sat down to eat, seeing as it had been a while since they’d started talking and they were all feeling hungry; and it was while they were eating that Merlin found her connection with Saxon was slowly returning, she could sense his magic again and she could feel the relief in his emotions and in turn it made her feel far more relaxed and relieved that the problem was solved and Saxon was feeling much better.

She was going to keep her promise. She wasn’t going to leave him and she wasn’t going to put him through stress like that ever again if it was in her power to prevent it. Never again. 


	17. Fit for a Princess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter woohoo!   
> I hope you enjoy, if it seems rushed I apologise but I am pleased with the chapter so far, so once again please enjoy!   
>  :)

Slowly over a few weeks all three of the previously affected sorcerers returned to their full strength, Nathaniel gained all his former strength and he was no longer bound to his house and bed as well as Morgana and Merlin, who had begun teaching again which all the kids and teenagers were pleased with. Everything had mostly returned to normal after the events of the tournament and none of them really thought much of it, Merlin trying to distance herself from that place once again.

She had also sent a letter along with an enchanted coin to William in Vynden, asking him how he was fairing and of his health and the status of his Knighthood– To which he sent back a letter reassuring her that his position as a Knight was secure and his Lord had been most gracious after William was asked about his magic. His Lord had been accepting and he’d been asking him questions ever since, bordering annoying. His health had been poor over the first few days of being home, with his mother fussing over him and his younger sisters pestering him for the whole story but he was back to normal and he felt stronger than before the incident in Camelot which was something that he hadn’t expected but he was grateful for it. He also mentioned how he still intended to keep his promise to her in coming to her aid should she ever need it and she in turn wrote back her gratitude for all he had done to help and for any future help he would be to her.

Merlin’s relationship with Saxon had improved as well, the boy felt more comfortable and he was back to being that young enthusiastic druid again. Merlin made sure to let him know if she was leaving the cave with Gwaine or if she was heading to collect herbs as after a talk with Iseldir and Cerdan, they’d come to a conclusion that Saxon may be showing signs of a small amount of separation anxiety, so being able to tell him where they were going made it much easier for him to remain calm if Merlin and Gwaine weren’t around.

There was also some major excitement going around the camp, since Nathaniel had come to see Merlin and Gwaine in their home to ask them about a very important subject– He wanted to ask Morgana to marry him, however he had no idea how and he wanted their help since they’d known Morgana for a very long time and he wanted to make it special for her. 

Merlin, although she would never admit it, had let out a very unsophisticated squeal and the smile on her face had been vibrant and wide. Gwaine had clapped the druid on the back and congratulated him on  _ finally ‘manning up and asking the Princess.’ _ The pair of them were so happy that he’d finally be asking her and had automatically agreed to help with the preparations. Nathaniel knew that he wanted it to be simple but sweet, something that could make his Princess endlessly happy when she ever remembered it.

So they began to plan. Merlin knew what flowers Morgana liked and she knew what dress she would get Morgana dressed up into along with help from Deanna and Eliza, while trying not to give anything away. She made the men look at creating the ring and choosing an outfit for Nathaniel to wear while Merlin and the girls looked at where to set it up and what decorations to use. It was being planned a week in advance, with secret meetings whenever Morgana was with a class teaching or some of the older ladies had  _ ‘required her help’ _ which meant that there was less chance of them being caught, even though Merlin and the druids would have known if she was heading their direction.

It was proving difficult to hide the surprise from Morgana as Merlin was just so happy for the couple and even though nothing had been confirmed, Merlin was so excited and it was taking everything in her to not say anything or be smiling for no reason while looking at the Princess. Even hiding her magic hadn’t been this difficult to do, yet here she was struggling to hide the fact that Morgana’s love was going to propose to her! How ironic.

It did seem though that Morgana was fairly oblivious, which made keeping the secret just that much easier on everyone involved. The men could get away with running around doing random crafts without it being suspicious and as it was normal for people to take time outside the cave, Morgana never really enquired about it. 

Everyone was working hard to get the space outside, perfectly decorated and looking stunning for the big day. Eliza had found the nicest area for the proposal to happen, a small open space in the middle of three large oak trees which had the perfect rain cover and shelter which Eliza expanded on, with a couple of spells to make the place weather resistant and from that point, ever so often over a few days, people would sneak over to add some decorations to the spot and some of the men had been put in charge of creating a lovely table to have in the centre, along with a couple of chairs to accompany it. The older women in the camp had been so kind as to offer to make some cloth pieces for it as well as a shawl which Morgana could wear on the day. 

With most of the camp involved in the surprise, everything was arranged reasonably fast yet with a lot of care and it wasn’t more than a couple of days before the day when the setting had been completed and Merlin thought it looked absolutely stunning, and very much like what Morgana used to speak of when she was still in Camelot, about how she wanted her future suitor to propose to her. She was going to get her dream, the camp loved Morgana as one of their own for as long as she’d been there and everyone of them were willing to help her, it was what she deserved.

Gwaine, Nathaniel and Cade along with a couple of older druids were working very hard on creating both Morgana’s engagement ring along with both of their wedding bands. They’d all been holed up in the small metal working room, designing and making it as well as going out to find the gem which would take centre place on the band of her engagement ring. Nathaniel had shown Merlin a mental image of the gem they’d found, a reasonably small, yet beautiful coloured ruby they’d been able to find in a nearby gem mine. It had been discovered in one of their first months in the cave by some of the kids playing around outside the cave. Merlin instantly knew that Morgana would love it.

The actual creation of the rings didn’t take too much time as there were spells that could be used for that, even though the gem was manually placed in its setting on the ring making sure it was centred before securing it with magic. There was also magic placed on the rings which would make sure that they would fit without having to have it checked first, the rings would size themselves to Morgana’s finger and set at that size making them one of a kind for her. 

This wasn’t going to be the first engagement there’d been since Merlin and Gwaine had joined the camp, a few people had got engaged and married. A younger couple, barely out of their teenage years and an older couple into a second marriage after both their previous partners had died. The older couple had moved on from the camp, wanting to find a house and land for themselves to live out the rest of their days together while the younger couple remained with the camp, neither having any desire to move on any time soon– neither did their parents. It was normal for couples to leave and find a new camp but even then it was normal for them to also remain in their original camp to be in the security of that bond with the rest of the druids around them. 

There wasn’t much left to prepare, the setting was ready for whenever Nathaniel decided it was time, Merlin and Eliza had ‘borrowed’ Morgana’s favourite dress, a purple under layer with a thin green over layer under her bust and across her arms and back, flowing into a long train, for her to wear and the older women had finished the shawl to accompany it– spelled to be thin yet warm. They had also chosen some pieces of Morgana’s jewellery for her to wear with the dress, a simple silver chain with a green, colour changing gem in the centre and a similar bracelet to complete the set. The rings were with Gwaine, he’d hidden them somewhere only he knew, so that there was no way of Morgana happening across them at any point. 

Nathaniel was nervous, it was clear as day to see, yet he still looked at Morgana with the uttermost love even though he had admitted to Gwaine that he was scared that she wouldn’t accept him; Gwaine had smacked him round the back of the head for thinking such as silly thing but Gwaine understood the fear he was feeling, even though he was very sure that the Princess would accept him. He’d even bet on it– he didn’t… but he could have done.

Merlin did have to admit to Gwaine one evening to scaring the druid slightly, after Gwaine had noticed that Nathaniel was kinda avoiding her and he looked a bit shaken. Merlin told him that all she’d done is tell him that if he ever thought of hurting Morgana he’d have Emrys to deal with– ‘Do you really think he didn’t understand that I was joking with him? Because I swear I was. I know that he’ll treat her far better than anyone else ever could, I like him for her. Goddess I hope it hadn’t messed him up that badly.’ She snuggled into Gwaine’s side, and from her voice, Gwaine could tell she was pouting. ‘I’m sure he knows that, but he just seemed a bit shaken to be perfectly honest with you my love because who in their right mind wants to be threatened with the most powerful witch in history… certainly not the man trying to marry her best friend. I’ll speak with him tomorrow at breakfast, I’m sure he’ll understand where you’re coming from.’ 

Merlin had hesitantly agreed before the two of them decided to go to sleep. 

The next day Gwaine did speak with Nathaniel and the situation was cleared pretty quickly after the two of them did manage to speak with one another and Merlin apologised for scaring him while Nathaniel would deny that he blushed at the implication he was scared.

‘It’s time, it’s happening this evening!’

That was the first thing that Nathaniel said to either of them when they came down for lunch a couple of days later– He had it all planned, he knew what he was going to do and all he needed now was for Merlin and the other girls to drag Morgana away to get her ready without her suspecting anything; and for that Merlin and Deanna already had a plan which would be set in motion with the help of some of the young girls of the camp who wanted to play ‘dress up’ with Morgana later that evening. 

Robyn and Lydia were already there to help along with a few other of the girls as it was common knowledge throughout the druids that Morgana couldn’t resist the children if they asked her for something. She’d often dropped her needlework in favour of playing chase with the children after their meals and she was always available to look after a sleeping baby while the mother slept herself, or took up chores that hadn’t been completed… so using the children and teenagers, it was guaranteed that the Princess wouldn’t find anything amiss until they led her outside! 

The girls as well as Merlin and Deanna were all in Morgana’s room, Morgana sitting patiently as they did her hair and she resisted the shared urge to laugh with Merlin as she did her makeup at the behest of the young ones. The girls were also some great little actresses, making a show of choosing the right dress for her to wear while Eliza snuck in carrying the  _ perfect  _ dress which they’d previously borrowed and a small box of the chosen jewellery and the shawl that two of the older ladies had made for her. 

Everyone had made the best of the situation, keeping the Princess’s focus as she was gradually dressed up into her gown and clasped into her jewelry and the shawl placed over her shoulders as the final touch. She had mentioned the shawl briefly, since she’d never seen if before and they told her a half truth on that– ‘Layla and Ester were making a couple of shawls for themselves and had too much material, so they made one for you too, since you had been thinking about making yourself one. Layla would also like to know your response, do you like it?’ Eliza told her calmly, revealing no hint of the white lie. ‘I think it’s beautiful honestly and so warming, please thank them for me! And thank you girls for dressing me all up, I’ve enjoyed it. You’re all so sweet!’ The Princess proceeded to give hugs to all the kids while sharing a kind smile with the older women in the room.

‘You should go and show Nathaniel!! He’s going to think you’re so pretty! Come on, come one, come on, let’s goooo…’ The youngest girls in the room, twins of six summer old were the ones to initiate the final stage of the plan: Get Morgana outside to see Nathaniel! And so far it was working, as the two young girls had hastily pulled Morgana up from her chair and out of her house and through the cave while the older witches laughed at their eagerness. Everyone that they met around the main space took turns praising Morgana for her looks, making her redden from all the compliments. The girls fully paraded Morgana around the cave in a bid to  _ ‘find’ _ Nathaniel before Iseldir conveniently supplied them with the information that he was outside collecting some firewood– a perfect reason for them to lead Morgana outside!

Morgana was far too distracted by all the children surrounding her that she never noticed the sly grins on everyone’s faces after she’d finally gone from sight, most of the druids making themselves scarce to go and prepare the meal for the two of them as well as putting the final decorations up for when the couple came back into the cave with news. 

Merlin caught a glimpse of Morgana’s face when she first saw Nathaniel and the surprise set up, the whole space shining with lights and candles and flowers of all kinds including her favourites. The older girl had turned to Merlin with a quick look that spoke a lot even though she said nothing, before looking at Nathaniel with a warm smile and walking towards him when he motioned her closer with his hand.

Merlin knew that they would be perfectly fine as she guided the children back inside, she knew that they were dying to see and witness how the proposal would go, however, it was an intimate moment between the couple and for that they needed no witnesses. They would eat, they would speak of the surprise and then some time later, Nathaniel would ask her and Merlin was sure that she would say yes. Nathaniel meant too much to her for her to say no, she had often said that she wanted to be his wife someday and the both of them deserved it!

It was some time before the pair of them came back into the cave. The children were restless and many of the youngest had been put to bed, all the excitement draining them of their energy. Two of the boys were caught trying to sneak outside to watch by their mothers and that had been some entertainment as when they’d seen their mothers stern faces they’d come slinking back to the dining area to sit and wait and neither had tried to leave after that moment. 

Merlin just sat with Gwaine, Saxon, Cade and Deanna talking while Eliza had gone up to her home as she still had her new born to care for as well as her three other children to bathe and put to bed. The adults and Saxon just spoke about random things, as well as Saxon’s lessons and how he was finding them– he also showed them his fire figure, a bit like Merlin’s but instead of a phoenix, he had an image of a Dragon. When he was asked about it, he just told them that it was because of all the stories he’d been told over the years and after finally seeing and meeting a Dragon in real life, he had gained such a respect for them and he appreciated them for their pure– yet somewhat old and steadfast– views of the Old Religion and magic itself but most importantly, they reminded him of Merlin. It had made Merlin feel slightly emotional as she understood where he was coming from, the Dragons were magnificent, even if they could be as confusing as a talkative drunkard and to finally see one after not knowing if they still existed was a marvellous experience. It also made her emotional since even now she hadn’t realised just how much she meant to Saxon, even though she knew how much he meant to her and it made her happy, knowing just how much they meant to each other and she was very happy to have him in her life.

Merlin was the first one to spot Morgana, or well, sense her. The other witch had a distinctive magical signature so it was easy to find her in a crowd and from what Merlin knew about Morgana, her magic was buzzing– a powerful flow throughout her body, but that could come from a few things. Merlin turned to the entrance where the two sorcerers were coming back inside, she caught eyes with the Princess, who was red in the cheek yet had a lovely faint smile on her face as Merlin crossed the cave to meet her, Gwaine on her tail. Merlin didn’t need to say anything when the two women stopped in front of each other, Merlin asking silent questions about what had happened outside to which Morgana threw her arms around Merlin's neck, embracing her tightly. Merlin’s arms automatically caught Morgana, holding her just as close as the dark haired witch whispered into her ear with glee filled voice—

‘We’re getting married Merlin, we’re finally getting married!’


	18. Hello brother...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! And you have it a week early! Aren't I nice? aha
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter! It was one that I really enjoyed writing and I found I had a lot to write about it!  
> Feel free to leave any comments below, any are welcome and please enjoy!  
> x :)

‘You planned all of this didn’t you.’ Morgana stated once she was closer to Nathaniel, who in a replica of Gwaine, just smirked, ‘And I guess everyone else was in on it too?’ He nodded, pressing a kiss to her cheek. ‘Yep and those little girls are some good little actresses, had you suspecting nothing, didn’t it?’

Morgana laughed, a light airy sound as Nathaniel led her to sit down at the table. She took a good look around as Nathaniel went to take his own seat. ‘It’s very beautiful, everyone has done such a wonderful job and I am truly surprised by it all. I honestly thought that the girls just wanted to play dress up. And I suppose that Merlin, Eliza and Deanna had some part to play in the ‘dress up scenario?’ Nath nodded, sitting back in his chair looking smug, happy that he had managed to catch the Princess unawares.

‘Yes of course, and Merlin and Gwaine were the first people I told that I was going to surprise you at some point, I just needed some help to set everything up for it. They were very good in organising everything, the girls did incredible with the decoration that I was surprised myself when I saw it the first time!’ Morgana took another look around, spotting in the clusters of flowers a few smaller bunches of carnations, knowing that Merlin must have supplied them since she knew that they were Morgana’s favourite flower. It really was very pretty. 

It was lovely to be surprised in such a kind thoughtful way that Morgana didn’t really think about a reason why. Nathaniel could be rather romantic when he wanted to be, so it was nice to humour that side of him when the opportunity came about. 

They spoke of some random things for a while, Nathaniel made her stand up and spin for him so that he could see her outfit in full and she made him do the same just for her own entertainment as he blushed red, or more so than she did, at being presented before her eyes and for her compliments. But Morgana could say that she thought he looked very good, he was wearing a dark, leaf green tunic on top of his smarter pair of brown trousers. He also had his druid triskelion pendant around his neck on a length of leather cord and he really was the most handsome man she’d ever encountered.

One of the older ladies came outside carrying a tray, on which sat two plates of good looking food, large portions too as well as floating beside her, a pitcher of warm cider and a pair of cups. There were also a couple of steaming bowls beside her as well. She didn’t stay long, just put the plates and cutlery down on the table before giving them both a years worn smile and making her way back inside.

On the plates were slices of pork meat, root vegetables and a couple of pieces of fresh bread. Everything tasted very good like normal so Morgana let herself eat slower than she usually would, wanting it to all last a little longer. The dessert had also been incredibly good too, a steaming bowl of stewed fruit and sweet crumble with some fresh churned cream on top– Morgana’s favourite part of the meal since she’s always had a bit of a sweet tooth. She couldn’t even help the small happy dances in her seat as she finished eating, only to look up to see Nathaniel watching her with a contented smile on his face, leaning back in his chair drinking some of his cider. 

‘You keep staring at me, is there something on my face that is making you look so intently Sir?’ She dabbed at her face with an amused grin, around her mouth trying to locate stray traces of sauce, while Nathaniel just chuckled, leaning to place his cup back on the table, ‘No My Lady, I was just admiring the shine in your eyes and you’re endless beauty…’

Morgana blushed

‘Truthfully Morgana, I won’t ever jest with you on that subject, for you are the most beautiful witch I have ever encountered and I will endeavour to tell you that for the rest of my life. Meeting you has to have been the best moment of my entire existence, the witch who first came to the camp to gain control of the magic she never knew she possessed– to then teaching others the same control these few years later.’

Nathaniel’s voice was truthful, sincere and he was looking at her as though she held the stars.

‘I never understood how such a kind and genuine being would ever want to be by my side, someone with your Royal background and your far more knowledgeable education than my own, but you surprised me, in many, many ways. The way you interacted with every member of the camp, you were kind to every man, woman and child; helping anyone who asked even though I saw you had struggles at times but you mostly surprised me in accepting my offer of courting and I was overjoyed…’

Morgana’s breath hitched in her throat, as tears slipped from her eyes, happy yet overwhelmed as Nathaniel moved from his seat, his hand going into his pocket as he ended up knelt beside her side. He took her left hand in his own, looking up at her in the most loving way she’d ever seen from him and gripped in the fingers of his right hand, a shining metal and ruby ring.

‘But you would make that joy tenfold if you did me the honour of becoming my wife because I want to spend my days with you Morgana, I want you by my side and I want to be able to call you my wife in the eyes of the Triple Goddess, the Old Religion. I want you by my side as my equal in life. So, my beautiful, green eyed sorceress– will you marry me?’

Morgana let out a joy filled sob, flinging herself down into Nathaniel’s embrace, clinging to him tightly as his arms came to hold her near…

‘Yes, yes a thousand times yes. I want to be your wife, to stay by your side for the rest of my days, yes!’ 

Nathaniel was beaming, despite the tears filling his eyes as he finally, gently placed the ring on her slender finger, the two of them watching how it shrank to fit. They remained seated on the ground for a while, silently drawing in each other’s presence, heads rested against the others, Morgana looking down at her ring with a disbelieving smile on her face, amazed that any of it was real, though she knew it was. It was some time before Nathaniel moved them, shifting Morgana from her place so that he could look her in the eyes, his hand coming up to wipe some stray tears from her face, a look of content on his own.

‘You are going to make me the happiest man alive Morgana, I could never ask for more!’ Leaning down to press the gentlest kiss to her lips before pulling away whispering, ‘I love you so much, my darling, so much.’

Their engagement wasn’t long, neither of them wanted to wait any longer to get married, so the ceremony was planned within a week, much like the proposal. They had their wedding rings already so it was just a case of making Morgana’s dress and something smart for Nathaniel to wear as well as decorating the cave and organising their honeymoon. 

Neither of them had a very clear idea about where they wanted to go for it, they didn’t want to be too far from the cave, yet they wanted space for a couple of weeks; it was lucky that Iseldir knew of an old cottage only a short while away. It was empty yet clean and the roof was sound and all it needed was a small amount of furnishing to finish it off and it would be perfect for them! So Iseldir went with Cade and some of the other druid men to fix a couple of things and then the next day Eliza and a few other ladies went to furnish it nicely for the newly wedded couple. 

Morgana knew how she wanted her dress, confessed that she’d known since she was a young teenager. She turned a stray piece of fabric in her room into the base layer for her gown, turning the fabric a delicate peach colour that she then added layer upon layer to before it was how she wanted. A beautiful gown which came into her waist, extenuating her figure before flaring out and on each of the layers of sheer fabric, were small delicate flowers– carnations, the same ones which would go in her bouquet.

She didn’t show anyone the gown, hidden away from view so that it could be a surprise. She never even showed Merlin however much she had begged to see it. 

Morgana was nervous, very nervous honestly, even though she knew that she wanted to be married to Nathaniel and she would be surrounded by friends and her family but it was a bit frightening knowing that everything she was used to was going to change. She had never lived in close quarters with a man before, despite her brother being down the hall and she’d never had to worry about sharing a bed with one either. She’d heard horror stories about a couples wedding night, about the way men reacted and it was something weighing on her mind quite a lot. There weren’t many people she could speak to comfortably about this topic, her mother had passed and Merlin wasn’t married yet, but she still maintained some distance with Gwaine even though they shared a bed. The only person she felt comfortable talking too about it was Eliza, being her friend and only married around five years to Burne. 

Eliza had been the best of help in both calming Morgana’s worries and teaching her a few things. The older woman had talked in less detail about her wedding night with her husband– reassuring Morgana that most men were kindest to their wives in that state of vulnerability, that Burne had been kind, patient, gentle with her and he’d never made her feel anything but relaxed and happy. Yes there may be some discomfort on her part but once that was through, nothing had ever felt so good.

‘Nathaniel holds you as his universe, he would never treat you so poorly as those foul excuses for men. He would listen to you should anything feel wrong or bad and Morgana honey, you don’t have to go through with anything that you don’t want. Not on your wedding day. Nothing should take away the joy you feel from the happiest moments of your life. Have I done a good job of calming your nerves somewhat?’ They were sitting at Eliza’s table, hand in hand. Morgana nodded truthfully, she did feel less anxious but there would always be some reservation until the very moment. 

The whole cave was being decorated from top to bottom, flowers, fabric draped over bare areas of rock and the Worship Circle had been decorated in vines and flowers similar to the way the proposal sight had been. Iseldir, as the camp elder and leader, was in charge of the service and their handfasting ribbons, charmed with spells of well wishes, happiness and long lasting love, on the spiritual side rather than physical spells. Morgana had supplied Iseldir with her ribbon, the same peach fabric as her dress, the only indication of the colour while Nathaniel had given Iseldir a light grey coloured ribbon, which laid together was a very pretty combination. 

When the ceremony actually happened, he would give a final blessing once their hands were joined to finally proclaim them husband and wife and it was his favourite part of any wedding ceremony! The happiness that radiates off of the couples face when they are proclaimed and that they are together, witnessed by the Old Religion and the Triple Goddess, never to be separated.

Merlin couldn’t sit still in her seat, tired of waiting to see Morgana’s dress. She couldn’t help it but Gwaine got slightly annoyed with her constant shifting that he had to physically hug her to his side so that she couldn’t move around anymore! He knew she was excited but she’d waited this long, couldn’t she wait another few minutes? Apparently not because she’d just pouted at him!

As per the druids wedding ceremonies, everyone was sat around the Worship Circle, each person dressed in their simplest robes so as to not take away from the Bride or Groom. It was also a Druid custom that each person should carry a ribbon of their own colour which could be braided into the wreath which would eventually go into the married couples home as a celebration of the camps witness to the union. Merlin’s was blue and Gwaine’s was green and Merlin couldn’t help but think about how nice the colours looked together–  _ Goddess, what was she thinking!  _ She came back to herself, pulling her hand away so that their ribbons were no longer next to each other. They weren’t getting married just yet!

She was sitting with Gwaine closest to the archway at the top end of the Worship Circle, as they were some of the most important people to both Morgana and Nathaniel and she had an added status as Emrys anyway, even though she could have done without that. 

Nathaniel looked good, his tunic and trousers were in tones of grey and he looked really smart. He was often a very neat person and he nearly always looked good but today there was an air about him– he radiated happiness, confidence and the smile on his face never dropped as he spoke with Iseldir and Cerdan quietly. Merlin felt the sensation of someone trying to speak with her, so she opened up her mind link,  _ ‘If Morgana is ready, we are ready to begin. There is nothing else that needs doing and it’s all up to them now!’ _ Iseldir said, giving Merlin the go ahead to speak to Morgana, who was currently waiting inside one of the closest vacant homes where she had spent the morning getting ready. 

_ ‘Morgana. It’s time, everything’s ready when you are!’  _ Merlin never got a reply but she knew that Morgana was going to come out in a minute, most likely trying to steel herself for the most important walk of her life. Then she felt Morgana’s magic begin to move and knew that at that moment everything was going to go perfect for them!

Morgana knew she was beautiful, she’d been told that most of her life by various Kings, Lords, Princes, Princesses and Queens alike, in both words and by the way that they tended to look at her, however, she had never experienced such a look as the one she saw on Nathaniel’s face. He was locked onto her the moment she came into view, eyes looking over every aspect of her, that for a second she felt incredibly self conscious, a feeling she hadn’t felt since she was a child. His eyes were intense, yet his breathing had picked up and his mouth dropped slightly, giving Morgana a reason to smile, silently glad that she was making him feel like that just at the sight of her. 

The look on his face, so full of passion and love for her was almost too much as she finally came to stand by his side, giving him one of her hands to hold while the other clutched her bouquet tightly, smiling at him brightly. ‘You are so beautiful… wow.’ Nathaniel breathed out. There were chuckles around them at Nathaniel’s emotion filled voice and Morgana could see that his eyes were wet, ‘I guess you look nice too…’ He relaxed at her joking, a smile gracing his face as the two of them turned to face Iseldir so he could begin the ceremony.

He went through everything quickly, or that’s how it seemed, since neither of the couple could keep their eyes from turning to the other. Looks of undeniable love on each of their faces. They probably didn’t hear half of what he said, however they did hear the moment of the final steps– the swapping of rings and the sacred fasting of hands to complete the ceremony. Sliding the rings onto their fingers had been the moment when Morgana truly felt as though that was that, she would be married to the love of her life for the rest of her life and she couldn’t have felt happier. The familiar feeling of the ring adjusting to her finger and finally getting to put a ring on Nathaniel that signified that he was hers.

Iseldir took their ribbons from where they were laid on a small cushion on a table and one after the other wrapped them around the held left hands of the couple, taking time to careful secure them tying them loosely for comfort before stepping away and whispering incantations of all things good for them. Then he turned to the rest of the camp and speaking loudly, with eyes golden, said ‘Under the witness of this company of Druids, of Emrys and of human eyes, do I bring before the Triple Goddess her children, bound together for life in this exchanging of rings and the fasting of hands. With the acceptance of the love between these two people I ask that they shall be favoured, protected through life, given all they should need through the Old Religion.’

The ribbons began to glow, shining with sparkles as a faint wind began to blow through the cave, through Morgana’s hair. The ribbons also began to move, sliding over and round their joined hands, heating up slightly against their skin, yet nothing felt wrong and it was just as though she could feel Nathaniel more than she could before. The glowing and the sparkles eventually settled, leaving only the comforting heat as Iseldir gave the final blessings, ‘Shall the Triple Goddess shine on you both forever and may you always be in her witness. So shall it be, that through the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife, High Priestess and Druid for as long as you both shall live and I wish you the happiest of lives together. You may kiss the bride!’

Nathaniel wasted no time leaning in to grip her waist and kissing her. Pouring all his love into that one special moment of confirmation that she was his and he couldn’t have been any happier than he was!

The ribbons slipped from their wrists, floating with magic back into Iseldir’s hand so that they would be safe until the wreath binding later than night before they were due to leave for the cottage. The camp leader looked on as the two of them were soon swept up into celebration by their friends and fellow druids. He’d watched the two of them blossom in love and strength of magic through their time in both the camp and being together as a couple and it was a wonderful feeling that they were now formally joined as one. He’d been silently waiting for a few years. 

Cerdan moved to stand beside him, taking one of his hands in his own, ‘After all this time, they are finally joined. I doubt we will ever see them so happy as they are today, I’m so happy for them. Proud of the both of them for what they’ve achieved.’ Iseldir nodded as his partner spoke, leaning to press a kiss to the side of his head, ‘It reminds me of us all those years ago. Still feels like yesterday at times before I remember we’ve had twenty years together and I still feel the same way. But I wish them happiness, the same I have experienced with you.’ Cerdan smiled at him, returning his kiss, before looking out into the camp, their eyes both turning to the same two people, currently speaking with the newly wed couple, yet looking so incredibly in love with each other, ‘Now we just have to wait for those two to figure it out!’ 

Morgana and Nathaniel left for the cottage a little while after the evening meal, spending the majority of the afternoon celebrating with everyone. 

The pair had barely seen any of each other as Morgana had been taken by Merlin and the girls to talk and gush over her dress and Gwaine, Saxon and Cade had leapt at him the very moment that they could and the four men celebrated with a round of friendly smacks on the arm and a classic headlock in Gwaine’s case. 

However, just before they left, the braiding ceremony took place, with their handfasting ribbons twisted together, they attached them to the plain wreath before everyone else did the same, Iseldir and Cerdan first as the camp leaders, then Merlin as Emrys, Gwaine as their closest friend and so forth until the last child had tied theirs onto the string of their mothers, completing the wreath before it was shrunk down into the size of a small saucer which would later be hung up in their home together.

They went by horseback, the bags strapped tightly to the saddle of Nathaniel’s horse. They didn’t speak much on the ride there, there was no real need since the two of them always felt comfortable in the others presence, yet they still managed to keep the horses close enough that they could hold hands, Nathaniel’s thumb stroking over the shining band of her ring.

It was cool outside, a soft breeze making her eyelashes flutter and cooling her skin from the warmth she had been feeling from not only her cloak but all the celebrations and the warming ale and cider. 

_ Merlin had been the one to help her wrap up in one of her cloaks, fastening it at the front as the pair stood in silence for a few minutes after, the older witch pulling Merlin into a hug, ‘Thank you so much for helping to organise all this Merlin. It’s been the best day of my life!’ Merlin had chuckled against her hair, squeezing Morgana a bit tighter, ‘Well it’s all you deserved my Lady, you and Nathaniel both deserved it. You’ll be great together and I truly wish you best in life. Goddess I feel like I’m saying goodbye all over again and I’ll never see you but you’ll be back in a few weeks!’ The pair of women laughed together, pulling away from the hug so that they could go back to where Nathaniel would be waiting for her. ‘Merlin, you are my best friend, you and Gwen have always been my best friends and I love you both dearly. I don’t think this would have been the same without you here, and I’m so happy that at least one of you was able to witness such a special day for me. And yes I’ll be back in a couple of weeks, don’t get into too much mischief will you! I know you Merlin, you attract trouble!’ Merlin had gasped in fake offence before offering a wide smile as the pair finally reached Nathaniel and Gwaine where they were stood talking by the horses. _

_ ‘Is my Lady ready to go now? Nathaniel said, as he held a hand out for Morgana when he saw her, ‘Yes I think we can go now, we don’t want to be travelling too late even if it is only a short while.’ She gave her goodbyes to both of her friends before her husband (HUSBAND!!!) helped her up onto her horse ahead of sharing his own goodbyes with the two of them then climbing onto his own horse. Heading out of the cave, the rest of the camp was lined up, waiting with handfuls of flower petals to throw at them as they passed, completing the event as Morgana and Nathaniel had rode out of view from everyone. _

Arriving at the cottage, both of them had been a bit stunned, the cottage looked wonderful! Shining lights surrounded it, in both the air and hanging from plants and vines and it no longer looked uninhabited. It looked cosy, and was proved so once they walked through the door, once with no furniture or anything, it was full of everything they would need for the next few weeks, table, chairs, a stove, a small pantry off food, fire, bath and bed. It was really a wonderful thing that the camp had managed to complete within a few days for them. 

However, it was at that moment, of complete aloneness with only Nathaniel which had Morgana feeling nervous, even though she knew that she didn’t need to be– this was her lover, her husband and she knew that nothing would go wrong but she couldn’t help the anxiety rising within her as she unfastened her cloak from her shoulders. Nathaniel was sorting out a few, he’d put their bags on the table before returning outside for a few minutes to feed and water the horses for the night, leaving Morgana alone to think.

She had removed her cloak and gone to sit on the bed when Nathaniel had re-entered the cottage and she knew the moment he’d looked at her that he could tell that something was bothering her. He didn’t say anything but after toeing off his boots, came to sit beside her, taking her hands in his, ‘Morgana, my love, what’s wrong?’ She couldn’t help but love how concerned he sounded but she still felt too nervous for words, so she took a few deep breaths and quiet moments before she was able to speak, ‘There’s nothing wrong per say, it’s just… No Goddess it’s so silly, you’ll think me a fool! Less as a woman...’ She had turned to look at him then, straight into his eyes as his brows furrowed at her words, trying to figure out what she could mean.

She saw the moment of realisation on his face, brows furrowing further and he looked moderately alarmed. Once again Morgana felt silly, turning away from him to hide her face as tears took their place in her eyes. She tried to stifle a sob, not noticing that Nathaniel had moved to kneel before her, still holding one of her hands tightly in his, ‘Morgana look at me. Morgana, I need you to look at me. Please, my love.’ It took a moment for her to be able to do so, feeling embarrassed, but when her eyes met his, he just looked so concerned and sad, ‘Morgana, I swear my darling that  _ that _ is the last thing on my mind at this moment, I am just so happy to have you as my wife  _ finally _ that I am content just being beside you. I don’t expect anything from you, yet if that is something that you want, I promise that I would never hurt you intentionally. The idea of you in any pain because of me makes me feel sick, less of the man worthy of being your husband and more of a brute! I would never treat you in such a manner, I swear!’ Morgana couldn’t help but sob, feeling a release of the anxiety and the fear she’d been consumed in as Nathaniel moved to sit back on the bed, pulling her closer to hold her as close as possible, ‘I would never expect anything like that from you Morgana, I’ve lived with just your company for the last few years, I can wait longer if that is what you need. I leave that choice to you my darling, it is not mine to make for you.’

They sat in silence, Nathaniel rocking them gently as Morgana calmed down, relishing the comfort she got from his embrace, and feeling empowered by it. She tilted her head to meet his, pressing a kiss to his lips while one of her hands came to cradle his jaw. ‘If I needed some time, are you sure you wouldn’t mind waiting?’ She whispered after the kiss ended, to which Nathaniel just nodded, pressing another kiss to her temple as she settled against him again, ‘I can wait as long as you need.’ 

The rest of their night was spent in quiet talking, of their fears and their wants, needs for each other in their life, tucked up under the blankets of the bed, holding one another until they were both too tired to speak; and as they drifted slowly into sleep, their rings glistened in the firelight, Morgana’s hand resting gently on her husbands chest while his arm wrapped around her body, coming to rest on her waist. Contented to just lie together.

They had a blissful couple of weeks: walking, picnics in the woods, many moments when they just sat outside the cottage reading together and overall just  _ loving _ one another. 

They also both agreed that it was nice being away from the camp for a while, just the two of them to get used to married life on their own, to figure out the way that they worked together but they did also miss everyone quite badly, even though after their first week there, Merlin had reached out to Morgana with a short letter asking how they were, but predominantly asking about which of their houses they’d be moving into. The couple spoke and soon after Morgana sent another letter back telling Morgana that they’d be moving into her house as it was a bit bigger, especially since Nathaniel would be moving his belongings in with hers. After that short exchange they weren’t bothered again and everything was perfect. 

Loving Nathaniel had been easy and felt natural, being connected to him in such an emotional, mental and physical way had been liberating for her. All her anxieties flew out the window, all her doubts and fears of pain had been cast aside by how gentle he was with her, patient to her inner monologue which almost won over her outer want but he was patient and once they were worn out yet content, lying in each others arms, he had confessed to her that he had been feeling just as nervous yet his was on the side of his fear of hurting her, ruining that physical intimacy that he wanted with her. It was after that conversation that the pair realised that what they had been worrying about hadn’t changed anything about the experience because it was all them– they made it work for them and it was the nicest possible outcome. Morgana had actually embraced the momentary discomfort she had first felt, since she knew that it would lead to something much better and it had been, so much so that waiting that week longer had been worth it. 

They were still planning to stay a few more days, they’d even spoken with Iseldir to ask if staying away for a while more would be inconvenient but their leader had reassured them that it was natural to want that extra time alone together, so they took it, deciding on staying another four days.

So to make sure that they could sustain themselves for that short time, the pair of them were peacefully wandering through the woods finding some wild fruits to have. Berries, apples, edible mushrooms etc. Nathaniel was carrying the basket while Morgana foraged, humming tunes and making sounds of accomplishment when she did find something to add to the basket, where Nathaniel would reward her with a kiss for the number of items she wanted to put in. It made the two of them smile and Morgana felt like a teenager again— like those times where she’d been sneaking kisses with a stable hand the same age as her, even though no one was around to see them. But this time it was love she felt while stealing kisses from the man in front of her.

‘Morgana my love, do you smell that?’ She stood back up from where she’d knelt picking mushrooms, tilting her head to sniff the air, her brow furrowing, ‘Burning? What would be burning out here?’ She dropped her handful into the basket, taking it from him before putting it on the floor, jumping when she heard the faint sound of a childlike scream, a very panicked sound. They took a glance at each other, before beginning to move towards the sound, both of them glad that Merlin had tied Nathaniel’s sword to his saddle, as Nathaniel was unsheathing it at that moment. Since they knew the way the woods worked, they were able to travel fast yet quietly towards the shouting and as they got closer they could see smoke floating throughout the trees.

Morgana wasn’t sure what to expect exactly, bandits possibly but never in a hundred years did she think it would be Camelot’s Knights in this set of woods, far outside of Camelot’s borders. The two of them had stopped short behind some trees when they’d seen a flash of a cloak, ducking just as a Knight turned himself into the trees coughing from the amount of smoke in the air. Morgana muttered a cloaking spell on Nathaniel and herself, turning them into their disguised selves before sneaking into a better seeing position, gaze turning horrified when she saw a Druidic tent caught ablaze, and a small bundle of Druids huddled together, two men, two women and three small children looking on horrified as their home burnt. However, Morgana felt her anger rise, when as the Druids turned to run away, there were Knights stopping them, some of her friends stopping them.

She didn’t understand how they could do something like this, and the more she watched the angrier she felt, her magic burning beneath the surface. It would have been easy for her to just burst through and stop it right that second but as she went to do something she saw out of the corner of her eyes, the blond and black hair of someone she didn’t think she’d ever see again– her older brother and her best friend. 

Whereas Gwen looked concerned, Arthur looked impassive. Even though he was obviously giving orders to Leon and she couldn’t hear what was being said, she was somewhat glad when a few knights ran over with buckets filled with water from somewhere, though that fire wasn’t going to go out anytime soon, it was too strong. 

Morgana felt Nathaniel pulling gently on her arm, looking at her in concern, his voice echoing in her mind,  _ ‘Is that him? Your brother? The man who hurt Merlin?’  _ There was disgust in his voice, something she’d never heard in his tone before yet Morgana nodded, feeling just as disgusted. Arthur surely had some cheek, coming out of Camelot and attacking peaceful Druids but seeing how it looked as though they were trying to put out the fire she was willing to see how this went. 

Her magic just wanted to lash out, hurt someone but she reined it in, the idea of hurting her closest friend winning over the urge– she’d never hurt Gwen, however much she wished to hurt her brother at that moment. 

The more she watched the scene, the more intrigued as to why they were there, she became. All of them were in travel gear, without their armour and without their bright red cloaks, yet she knew which knights they were just by the way they moved but it still didn’t show why they were out of Camelot.

She could hear the frantic talking from the Druids just asking to be let go, crying out that they would leave if only they could just go, the young children crying from fear, their mothers cradling them as close as they could, shielding their small bodies from the Knights, ‘Morgana what are we going to do?’ Nathaniel whispered to her but she didn’t know, ‘Let’s wait for an opportunity to arise, then we’ll see.’ Her head whipped around when one of the women yelled, the Druids pulling away from the Knights near them and trying to run again, one of the men landing a punch on the closest Knight, they had almost all made it to the trees in their haste when one of the children tripped, falling to the floor in a heap and scared scream. Something entirely instinctual reared up inside her when one of the Knights– she didn’t recognise the man– scooped up the child and carried him, kicking and screaming towards Arthur as some other Knights ran after the Druids. It was pure anger and disgust at how Arthur was acting in this situation after all he’d done to hurt Merlin, threatening her, banishing her, then wanting to ‘talk to her’ after making her leave! Goddess Morgana believed he was on his way to redeeming himself after the tournament all those weeks ago but seeing how he was acting towards an helpless Druid family— She was not going to stand by and watch it happen.

Arthur was kneeling down in front of the child, hands clasped on the boy's thin upper arms, holding him in place trying to speak to him, however, much the child struggled; Morgana didn’t even hesitate, just looking at the fear on that young child's face, the fear in his mothers eyes and reacted. Her magic pushed outwards, making the fire flare up in full force, shocking Arthur, Gwen and the Knights who all jumped, moving away from the fire as it burned fiercely.

Morgana could feel Nathaniel beside her as she moved from the trees, his sword drawn, not even questioning her motives as she felt all eyes turn to them, ‘Take your hands off that child Arthur Pendragon… !’ Her words were spoken with venom, hands stretched out, eyes glaring golden as she made the fire burn hotter and brighter, her anger fuelling the flames. She could see that he recognised her and Nathaniel from the tournament yet his grip on the screaming child never loosened. ‘I said, take your hands off of that child, NOW!’ There was the slightest movement behind her and with a swipe of her hand, a pair of Knights who had attempted to creep up on them flew through the air, back towards Arthur, landing on the ground in front of him with pained groans. The shock of it made Arthur release the child, who stood frozen, even though he was free to run to his mother. 

It was a gentle push of Nathaniel’s magic that scooped the boy up into the air and placed him into the arms of his parents, Morgana’s magic too hostile at that moment to be gentle, she knew she couldn’t have done it easily even though her magic wouldn’t have hurt the boy, but she wanted to be on the safe side

Everyone stood there gaping, shocked but at that second Morgana had no care for that; all she wanted was to get those Druids away from the Knights who had thankfully taken some steps away from the family in their surprise. ‘Come this way, go with my husband, he’ll take you to safety, you’ll be safe with us and we’ll take you to Emrys, go quickly now!’ Morgana knew that Nathaniel trusted her to take care of herself which is why she told him to go with the family while she stayed behind. ‘ _ Be careful my love!’  _ She gave him a loving smile, ‘ _ I will, I just need to have a talk with my big brother! I’ll meet you soon, at the cottage.’  _ Nathaniel nodded, sword held in front of him as the Druid family hurried past her, carrying all the possessions they’d managed to save as he stood protecting them before finally leaving after they’d escaped. 

Morgana let out a rush of breath, clicking her neck as she stared down her brother, ‘You dared to attack Druids in Emrys’ land? You are a fool Arthur– You have been since you were a child!’ Arthur looked angry yet scared as the fire beside her twisted and moved as her magic commanded, spilling over from the burning tent and spreading round in the air before her, ‘Who are you really? How would you know what I was like as a child? I’ve only ever seen you at that tournament, where you swore you had no magic! Who are you?’

She laughed, a full bellied, mocking laugh at him before doing something daring.

She could feel the sensation of the glamour dispersing as she said the reversing spell and watched Arthur’s face with sick amusement as he went from angry, to confused, to shocked pale. ‘I’ve been around you all our lives Arthur, you think I wouldn't know my own brother. I knew you could be a fool, but I never once thought you cruel– tormenting Druids? Wasn’t hurting Merlin enough? Goddess, you make me sick!’ 

‘Morgana!?’’ He stuttered, sounding nothing like the King he was meant to be.

‘Hello brother.’ She sneered.

‘Are you alright?’ Nathaniel said, pulling Morgana close, checking over her body with his eyes, as she nodded, ‘Yes I’m fine, I’m fine. Where are the Druids?’ She headed past him into the house when he told her they were inside. The family was sitting at the table, the young children all asleep in their parents arms, exhausted from the situation; the adults all looked tired too so Morgana felt even more upset for them.

‘How are you all feeling? She said, voice soft to not disturb the children, the oldest looking man spoke for them, ‘I think we’re all fine physically but all shaken from the experience. Nothing like that has ever happened before to us, and I’m sorry we have to intrude on your kindness.’ Morgana waved him off with a smile, moving round the small kitchen area to heat some water and get cups for tea. ‘It’s no problem for us, Sir, this is only the house we’ve been staying in for our honeymoon over the last couple of weeks but I think after this we may be going home to our camp.’ She met eyes with Nathaniel across the room, confirming that they would indeed leave that day. ‘Oh we apologise truly for interrupting your time together, miss! We shall leave as soon as the children wake. And I’m no Sir, please call me Richard, and this is my wife Faith, my sister Edith and her husband Bryant and our nephews Robert, Arthur and Christopher.’ 

The two ladies thanked Morgana quietly as she gave them steaming cups of tea, ‘You weren’t intruding honestly Richard and if I can call you that, then I am Morgana and this is my husband Nathaniel and I meant what I said earlier in the glade that we would take you to Emrys. We are in the same camp as she is and I know that she would want to help you, as would our camp leaders. It would also be a good idea for you to get some attention from our healer as well for all the smoke you may have inhaled. Please say you’ll join us…’ Morgana came to stand beside Nathaniel, looking at them imploring , hoping that they would consider it, even if it was for the children. 

One of the ladies gave Richard a nudge, looking at him sternly before gesturing to the children, making him sign, ‘I think my wife has decided for us that we’ll come with you for now. But we will move on after some help.’ Morgana couldn’t help the relieved smile on her face as Nathaniel began to pack everything they’d brought with them up into their bags. Morgana then sat down and spoke with them about a plan of how they would get to the camp, including letting the children take their horses as it was quite a distance for small legs, while the rest of them walked, however it was also decided that Faith should also take a horse with one of the boys, due to a crippled leg she had, as it had worsened by her attempt to run from the Knights. 

Morgana then let Iseldir know that their plans had changed and that they were coming home earlier than expected yet offered no further explanation at that moment. 

It was a very short time before everything was packed up enough for them to leave, but it wasn’t the greatest distance to travel so if anything was forgotten it could be collected another time. 

‘You mentioned earlier that you knew Emrys… Is she honestly as wonderful as it is spoken of her?’ Bryant asked, voice full of that same wonder everyone felt when speaking of Emrys. ‘Yes, she is wonderful, yet never claims to be worth more than anyone else and she’s my closest friend. I’ve seen her do great things, experienced a few of them alongside her – as has Nathaniel and she is genuine, righteous and cares for everyone who needs it.’ The Druids seemed stunned yet were very happy to continue asking questions about her, but at this time Morgana didn’t tell them her true name since the small family were going to be moving on and Emrys’s real name wasn’t something that needed to be known by many. 

It was closer to dark by the time they arrived at the cave, yet outside Iseldir, Cerdan and Alice were waiting, as were Merlin and Gwaine, ‘Morgana, are you guys ok? Iseldir said you were coming home early, so what’s happened?’ Merlin said, coming over to hug Morgana close, ‘We’re fine Emrys, but we have some visitors who could do with some attention right now…’ A small indication to remain as Emrys in that situation. That definitely caught her attention, as she pulled away to take in the family of five being spoken to by their leaders while Alice took a look at Faith’s leg for further injury.

‘Is everyone alright?’ The family looked at her, each member bowing in respect, ‘It’s an honour Lady Emrys!’ and Morgana could see Merlin resisting the urge to scold them for it but she held her tongue. ‘The honours mine. No serious injuries Alice?’ The older lady shook her head, ‘There doesn’t appear to be any injuries as such Emrys, however, this lady will need to rest her leg. It was already injured but I fear there may be some more damage to the limb. The rest of the family appear perfectly fine, just tired after today, so my remedy for all of them is to sleep and we can speak more tomorrow.’ Merlin nodded, turning to their leader, ‘Iseldir, is that fine with you?’ The older man nodded, ‘Of course Emrys, we already have the houses set up for them!’ Before motioning for them to all follow him inside the cave and as they all walked inside it was very clear that the family was tired, the children all asleep on top of the horses back, only being held up by steadying hands on their sides.

‘Those poor dears are exhausted aren’t they… Oh it makes me upset seeing children like that.’ Merlin linked arms with her sister, both of them walking inside the cave behind the others to talk privately with Nathaniel and Gwaine, ‘So what happened guys? I think it’s time you told us.’ Nathaniel sighed, ‘Her brother is what happened! Him, his Queen and his Knights!’ Merlin looked at her alarmed, ‘ _ He _ was there? What did they do to those poor people?’ The Princess ran a hand through her hair in frustration, ‘When we arrived, their tent had caught fire, burning completely and there wasn’t going to be a way to save it but then we saw the Knights, and Gwen and Arthur. I didn’t really understand what was happening, I just automatically thought that Arthur may have caused it and I saw the Druids being tormented and I felt angry; we got Richard and his family out of the way before I did anything else because I was  _ angry _ but in doing so… well… Merlin, he knows about me now!’ 

Merlin gaped at her, unable to say anything, Gwaine looked just as shocked, ‘You showed yourself to him?’ Morgana nodded, ‘And they know that I’m married, since I outright called Nath my husband as we got the others out of the way. But you know what? It doesn’t really bother me that he knows, I’m actually glad because maybe now he will have to really think about everything he thought he knew and that, in just a thought, amuses me, more than it probably should.’ She chuckled ‘It’s just another hard to swallow truth that my brother is going to have to get used to. There’s no changing that, I’m a witch, a sorceress always have been, always been, I can’t do anything about that; But I fear I may have jumped to conclusions so it would be best if we get the families full side tomorrow once they’ve had sufficient rest.’ 

Merlin looked at her, then to Gwaine then back to her before letting out a very long half sigh, half groan, ‘Right ok, that seems like a good idea. But before I do anything else tonight because I don't think that I can think any longer after what you have just told me! I just have one question...’ 

A wicked grin appeared on her face and having a vague idea of the reason why, Morgana and Nathaniel both found themselves blushing, accompanied by the sound of Gwaine laughing. 

‘How was your honeymoon?’ 


End file.
